Peleg Chevion

Head of Business Development, Water, Syngenta

Mr. Chevion is leading the corporate strategy and global activities of Syngenta International AG (NYSE: SYT, SWX: SYNN) in the Water space. Prior to Syngenta, Mr. Chevion led the business development activities in the therapeutic proteins arena for Crucell Holland NV (NASDAQ, Euronext: CRXL) and served as an attorney with one of the leading Israeli high-tech/VC related law firms. Prior to that he led R&D and commercial endeavors in the Software, Telecom and Internet industries. Mr Chevion started his career serving 7 years in the Israeli Air Force, leading R&D aerospace projects. Mr. Chevion graduated from the IDF Computer Academy with a diploma in software engineering, he holds an LL.B from Tel Aviv University (Israel) and an MBA from INSEAD (France/Singapore). He is a corporate and licensing attorney, admitted to the Israeli Bar Association.

Jean Debroux

Director of the Advanced Technologies Group at Kennedy/Jenks Consultants

Dr. Jean Debroux is the Director of the Advanced Technologies Group at Kennedy/Jenks Consultants. The ATG performs applied research, technology reviews, and assists with clients’ most difficult scientific problems. Jean’s research has been focused on the interface of society’s chemical signature and water supply since the early 1990s.“ATG is composed of scientists and engineers within the firm who have led major research initiatives in the water and wastewater fields,” says Dr. Debroux. “Their research has resulted in the acceptance of new technologies and processes for treating both water and wastewater.” The members of ATG include Drs. Larry Leong, Rajagopalan Ganesh, Leila Khatib, and Betty Olson who are located in the Irvine office, and Drs. Jean Debroux and Joe Drago in San Francisco. Dr. Leong will continue his work in ATG, leading selected applied research projects, assisting project teams with business development, and solving challenging and unusual technical issues.

Paul Gagliardo

Manager of Innovation Development for American Water

Mr. Gagliardo is well known throughout the United States, in Europe and Asia for his defining work on indirect potable reuse as a scheme to supplement the potable water supply in San Diego, California . He has pioneered the efficacy testing and use of new technologies in businesses that vary from energy conservation, hazardous waste remediation, solid waste resource recovery, water treatment, wastewater treatment, contaminant monitoring and strategic planning. He has authored over fifty technical papers on subjects ranging from low and high pressure membrane systems, monitoring systems, UV disinfection systems, strategic planning and watershed management. He has given presentations on five continents and in ten different countries and has been the invited keynote speaker on multiple occasions. During his twenty plus years at the City of San Diego, Paul created and managed the Aqua2000 Research Center. This program focused on the testing of new technologies for use in the water and wastewater business. Since leaving the City of San Diego he has continued to assist innovators in the development of their new products and help them become commercialized. Currently, Mr. Gagliardo is the Manager of the Innovation Development for American Water. In this position he is responsible for identifying new technologies that can be incorporated into American Water’s various business enterprises. Mr. Gagliardo is a registered engineer in the state of California and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health. He was appointed to the State of California 2003 Water Plan Update Advisory Committee, and was instrumental in fundraising for the successful proposition 50 Water Bond campaign.

Steve Kloos

Advanced Technologies Leader for GE Power & Water, Water & Process Technologies

Steve Kloos is the Advanced Technologies Leader for GE Power & Water, Water & Process Technologies. In this role, Steve looks for early-stage innovation outside of GE and shepherds disruptive technologies within GE Water & Process Technologies. Steve is also an extended member of GE’s Energy Financial Services venture capital team.He is a native of Minnesota. Kloos received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from University of Wisconsin at River Falls in 1989 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from North Dakota State University in 1994. He joined Osmonics immediately after graduation as a senior research engineer focusing on development of reverse osmosis, nanofiltraion and ultrafiltration membranes, and later became responsible for membrane technology within Osmonics.Kloos became a part of General Electric in February 2003 with the acquisition of Osmonics into GE. His first role with GE was Membrane Technology Leader in the GE Water business. In December 2005, he moved to Shanghai, China to become technology leader of the GE Water technology team at GE’s China Technology Center. In 2007, led the build of GE’s Singapore Water Technology Center while continuing to lead the R&D team in Shanghai. In July 2009, Steve returned to the US to assume his current responsibilities.

Chris Morrison

Strategic Account Manager – Division VP, NALCO

Chris Morrison is a 30+ year global veteran of the water treatment industry, most recently in Geneva, Switzerland, with NALCO Company. Chris has had a variety of executive assignments in leadership, technical and commercial roles, mostly focused on industrial water treatment involving: refrigeration/towers, steam/boilers, reverse osmosis, and waste plant/MBR operations. He and his teams have provided Green technical solutions to a variety of industries (including: steel, pulp and paper, refining, commercial buildings, microelectronics and all sorts of food/Beverage manufacturers) to reduce water footprint, re-use and recycle strategies. Chris has led these assignments starting in the 80’s from San Francisco and in the 90’s, living and leading teams for Nalco in Sydney, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia. Chris was previously an elected public official and director/Chairman of the Marin Municipal Water District. He was also a California Governor appointee of the Regional Water Control Board for San Francisco. Chris graduated with a degree in Biology from UC San Diego (La Jolla, CA, USA) and extension courses in business at University of Sydney and Northwestern. Chris/family will be returning to his home in San Francisco at the end of 2010.

Finn Nielsen

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors for Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies

Finn Nielsen is Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors for Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies and Chairman of the Board of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies North America. Mr. Nielsen is also on special projects for the CEO of Veolia Water, including the Veolia Innovation Accelerator (VIA) program.
Mr. Nielsen was formerly CEO and President of Kruger Inc., a Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies company; CEO and President of Kruger A/S in Denmark with responsibility for Spain and the Nordic countries; Executive Vice President for Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies responsible for the UK, Poland and the Nordic countries; and CEO and President of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies North America, responsible for the Americas and Australia.

A native of Denmark and a graduate of the Danish engineering college, Odense Teknikum, Mr. Nielsen also held engineering, sales and management positions in Denmark and Europe for Kruger A/S and was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Volund USA.

Paul O’Callaghan

Founding CEO of O2 Environmental

Paul O’Callaghan is the founding CEO of O2 Environmental a leading consultancy providing Water Technology Market Expertise to support the commercialization of innovative water technologies. Paul is the prime architect behind the BlueTech Tracker™ which is the most extensive database of its kind on emerging water technologies and the BlueTech Tracker™ webinar series which spot-lights exciting areas of innovation. Paul was co-author of ‘Water Technology Markets 2010 – key opportunities and emerging trends’ and a founder of the BlueTech™ Innovation Forum annual conference. Paul is an industry expert reviewer for both Sustainable Development Canada and the Innovative Clean Energy Fund. Paul recently completed a cutting edge analysis of BlueTech investment opportunities in the water sector for Global Water Intelligence, “Water Technology Markets – key opportunities and emerging trends’. The report provided a critical analysis of the game-changing technologies coming down the pike and identified the best growth opportunities in the water sector. Paul has worked with many start-ups to take technologies from proof of concept through to commercialization. His comprehensive technical and market expertise gained in both Europe and North America provides a unique international perspective on the emerging technology opportunities.

Rengarajan Ramesh

Chief Architect – Angstroms

Ramesh started a Strategy and Innovation consulting firm named “Angstroms” in July 2009. As its Chief Architect he is currently advising startups and Private Equity firms on investment strategies. Ramesh specializes in performing technical and business due diligence and targets companies in the clean energy, water, and waste management fields. Ramesh also plays an active role in identifying unique early stage start-ups and helps them identify partners to accelerate their growth. Prior to Angstroms, Ramesh was the Chief Technology Officer for GE Water and Process Technologies and played a key role in developing the acquisition, technology integration and globalization strategy for GE Water. Ramesh started his career at A. Schulman Inc, a 2B specialty chemicals and masterbatch manufacturer based in Akron, Ohio. In 2000, Ramesh became the Chief Technology Officer and led the corporate strategy shift from the automotive business to the consumer packaging business. Ramesh graduated with a M.S. and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron. He served as a member of the International Advisory Board to the Ministry of Environment and Water for the Government of Singapore from 2006-2009. He is also currently an Executive Board member at the National Center for Food Protection and Defense. He has over 4 issued and over 4 filed patents along with several publications.

Andrew Salveson

Water Reuse Chief Technologist, Associate Vice President

Currently working with Carollo Engineers, Andrew Salveson has 17 years of environmental consulting experience serving public and private-sector clients in the research and design of water and wastewater treatment systems. He is a licensed engineer in California, is an active member of the WEF Disinfection Practice Committee, and a contributing author on several disinfection textbooks. In 2007, the WateReuse Association named him the person of the year, noting his contribution “in bringing innovative technology to market.”Areas of experience include advanced wastewater treatment and disinfection process research, drinking water process research, and advanced water and wastewater treatment planning and design. Salveson’s recent WateReuse Foundation Projects have provided the industry with valuable information related to removal and biological impact of various TOrCs in wastewater.

Laura Shenkar

Founder and Principal of The Artemis Project

Laura Shenkar, Founder and Principal of The Artemis Project, is one of the foremost global experts on corporate water strategy and the application of advanced water technologies in commercial and industrial markets. Ms. Shenkar works with leading global corporations – including Wal-Mart, IBM and Novozymes – on the development and execution of their water management strategies. She also assists advanced water technology companies in bringing new innovations to market, such as smart irrigation, advanced cooling towers, high-efficiency filtration, on-site recycling and water capture systems. Ms. Shenkar advises the venture capital community on emerging investment opportunities through her work with Going Green clean-tech investment conference, the VC Taskforce and Astia. She is also actively involved with leading policy, advocacy and certification organizations, including the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the Water Reuse Association, the Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association, the National Sanitation Foundation, the Denmark Innovation Centre, the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Water Netherlands Partnership.Ms. Shenkar is a regular speaker at conferences and industry events, and she has authored several landmark reports and policy papers, including the E2 policy paper, “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Improved Water Policy,” that has driven California state policy on energy and water conservation. A graduate of Yale University, Ms. Shenkar holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has lived throughout the world and currently resides in San Francisco, California.

John Simpson P.E., LEED AP

Program Manager, US General Services Administration, Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings

During his career in the US Navy and while at Rocky Mountain Institute – the internationally recognized “Think and Do Tank” – Mr. Simpson led multi-disciplined, multi-national, teams of professionals working with clients, cities, campuses and military bases across the globe, to provide analysis of their resource flows to reduce costs, gain competitive advantage, create wealth, and strengthen environmental performance through the application of a whole-systems approach that not only recognizes the underlying causal linkages, but sees places to turn challenges into opportunities.

Mr. Simpson joined GSA’s Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB) to apply his experience, knowledge and skills in every aspect of sustainable design and program implementation. The OFHPGB at GSA, along with its sister office at the DOE, will drive sustainability and energy independence for the Federal Government.

Mr. Simpson is currently leading several initiatives for the OFHPGB: Program Development and Implementation of the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act; Zero-Net-Energy/Zero-Environmental-Footprint; Update of the GSA Water Guide; Water-Energy Nexus; Geo thermal Acceleration Plan; A/E Procurement Training, Green Retrofit/O&M; and Sustainable Consulting Contract Vehicle.

Mr. Simpson is a Registered Professional Engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional. He holds a Masters Degree from Stanford University and a Bachelors Degree from the University of South Carolina – both in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

William F. Wescott, Ph.D.

Vice President, Innovation – Americas for Veolia Environnement

Bill is Vice President, Innovation – Americas for Veolia Environnement, the world’s largest environmental services provider. He works closely with Veolia’s worldwide research and innovation group and all four of Veolia’s business divisions (water, waste, energy management, public transportation), to source clean technology innovation through strategic initiatives such as the Veolia Innovation Accelerator. Bill works closely with entrepreneurs and investors to identify promising technologies that meet the evolving needs of Veolia’s clients and can benefit from Veolia’s top position in key markets around the world.Bill is an internationally recognized clean technology expert, and has spoken at conferences for over 20 years on how organizations can benefit from environmental technologies and practices. He has extensive experience in environmental control technologies for water, air and waste, information/communication technologies, climate change, new venture development, and organizational governance across industrial sectors including energy, natural resources, chemical, and environmental services. A lifelong intra- and entrepreneur, Bill has worked with startups, corporations and investors to create new cleantech ventures and assess cleantech opportunities. He has served as an advisor to organizations including the Romanian, Italian, Mexican, Brazilian, and U.S. governments, UNIDO, the Sustainable Performance Group Investment Fund, PROPEL Board of Directors, The Conference Board, The Pew Center on Global Climate Change, The Institute of the Americas, and the World Resources Institute. Bill was an environment, health and safety consulting director at Arthur D. Little, Inc. where he worked for 15 years with over 100 clients across all sectors on 5 continents and in 4 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian).Bill has a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon and BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton.

Peter Williams

Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s Big Green Innovations

Dr Peter Williams is the Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s Big Green Innovations unit, whose role is to identify environmentally focused businesses for IBM to either develop or participate in – he is personally responsible for assembling, maintaining and developing the portfolio of businesses included. His particular focus areas have been photovoltaic energy; developing green house gas reduction solutions and services for all types of organization, both public and private; and water management solutions, covering entire water resources (for example entire rivers or aquifers), utility infrastructures responsible for water supply, water quality and waste water management, and enterprise water management.By background, Dr Williams is a management consultant with well over 20 years experience of bringing technology and business issues together to develop novel solutions and business models. He has extensive experience of the public sector, including defense, as well as the high technology, retail and CPG sectors. His PhD was awarded by the School of Management at the University of Bath, England, in 1986.

Dr. Nicholas J. Ashbolt

Title 42 Senior Research Microbiologist with the National Exposure Research Laboratory

Previously he was Head of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, where he continues as an Adjunct Professor as well as at the University of Cincinnati. He has 25 years of experience in environmental microbiology, with a focus on the fate and transport of environmental pathogens. Over the last 10 years he has worked in joint Australian-Sweden and European programs developing methods to interpret pathogen data with the aid of quantitative microbial risk assessment within an urban water sustainability framework. This work has contributed to the risk-based approach adopted in the recently published WHO guidelines for recreational, drinking and reuse waters. He has published 31 book chapters, 112 journal papers and over 100 conference proceedings since he joined UNSW in 1994.

Michelle Henderson

Quality Assurance Manager for the Environmental Technology Verification program

Ms. Henderson is the Quality Assurance Manager for the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program for the U.S. EPA. Ms. Henderson has 20 years experience in Quality and has been certified by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) as a Quality Auditor and a Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence. Ms. Henderson has participated in five rounds of the Ohio Partnership for Excellence as an Examiner and Lead Examiner for the state’s quality awards, as Examiner in two rounds of Cincinnati’s Small Business Awards for the Chamber of Commerce, and most recently as Judge for the 2010 ASQ International Team Excellence Awards. Ms. Henderson is also on the Standing Review Board for ASQ Quality Press. Ms. Henderson has a B.S. in Natural Sciences from the University of Cincinnati and is completing her thesis for an M.S. in QA through CSUDH.