High and Dry: Tackling Global Water Stress
Watch on this page live: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 | 8 am ET
By 2025, water scarcity is expected to affect around two-thirds of the world's population, and a similar proportion of companies will encounter significant water-related risks throughout their operations. Adding to the challenge, existing policy measures fall short of addressing this issue adequately. Resolving this crisis demands increased cooperation between public and private entities.
Join GZERO Media on Wednesday, November 29 at 8 am ET as we delve into practical approaches spanning various regions and industries to address water scarcity globally. Franck Gbaguidi, Director, Sustainability, Eurasia Group will moderate the conversation with Shigeaki Kazama, Executive Officer, Division Deputy COO, Sustainability Management Division, Suntory Holdings Limited; Brian Richter, President, Sustainable Waters and Senior Freshwater Fellow, World Wildlife Fund; Manoj Jain, Investment Director, Unison Capital; Alzbeta Klein, Director General, International Fertilizer Association; Shari Friedman, Managing Director, Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group; and Mike Nemeth, Senior Advisor, Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability, Nutrien.
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Speakers
James Dalton, Director, Global Water Programme, IUCN
Dr. James Dalton is Director of IUCN’s Global Water Programme after having first joined IUCN in 2009 as the Water Management Advisor. As the Director of IUCN’s Global Water Programme, James is focused on working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to advance water governance and management for people and nature.
Shari Friedman, Managing Director, Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group
Shari Friedman leads the firm's climate and sustainability coverage, focusing on environmental and social policies and on trends affecting energy companies, industrial production, retail, supply chains, technology companies, agribusiness, and financial institutions. Shari and her team work across regions and sectors to help clients understand evolving policies and how they will affect clients' businesses today and in the future.
Manoj Jain, Investment Director, Unison Capital
MJ (“Manoj Jain”) is an investor, researcher, advisor, and successful entrepreneur. Based in Singapore, MJ has professional experience and investment interests in India, Europe, China & US focused on healthy ageing, climate tech and digital transformation. MJ advises large businesses on strategic issues enabling growth through innovation and investments. MJ’s diverse projects include cross-border M&A, infrastructure investments and strategic diversification.
Shigeaki (Aki) Kazama, Executive Officer and Division Deputy COO, Sustainability Management Division, Suntory Holdings
Shigeaki is the Deputy COO of the Suntory Holdings Sustainability Management Division. He started his career at Suntory Group in 1992 as a system engineer. Following his career in marketing for beverage products, he has been dedicated to supply chain management of global operations for beverage business, including 4 years assignment in Indonesia. Under his current role, he leads Suntory Group’s sustainability with particular focus on water and climate actions.
Alzbeta Klein, CEO, International Fertilizer Association
Alzbeta is the CEO/Director General of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA). In her role, she is leading the global fertilizer industry towards helping to feed the world. Fertilizer industry plays a critical role in global food security and in the energy transition, and IFA leads the industry on both. In her previous roles, Ms. Klein led IFC/World Bank Group’s Climate Business, positioning IFC as a lead investor in renewable energy in emerging markets.
Tanvi Nagpal, Senior Technical Research Advisor, URBAN WASH Program, Tetra Tech
Tanvi Nagpal’s practice and research focus on sustainable and equitable water, sanitation, and solid waste services; and on generating financial support for pro-poor urban policies and programs. Tanvi currently serves as a Senior Technical Research Advisor (Tetra Tech) for the USAID-funded URBAN WASH program and as Senior Advisor to Athena Infonomics’ WASH practice. She is a Senior Program and Governance Advisor to Moonshot Missions working with water utilities in disadvantaged US communities and helping them gain access to federal and state funding.
Mike Nemeth, Senior Advisor, Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability, Nutrien
Mike leads Nutrien’s global water stewardship and biodiversity efforts as material ESG topics and how they relate to sustainable agriculture. He also supports Nutrien’s climate strategy through Nutrien’s carbon program and looks for opportunities around system solutions between those portfolios with agri-food value chain partners. He is registered as a Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.) in the practice areas of Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigation Planning and Water Resources Planning and Management.
Brian Richter, President, Sustainable Waters and Senior Freshwater Fellow, World Wildlife Fund
Brian Richter has been a global leader in water science and conservation for more than 30 years. He is the president of Sustainable Waters, a global organization focused on water scarcity challenges, where he promotes sustainable water use and management with governments, corporations, universities, and local communities. Brian has consulted on more than 170 water projects worldwide.
Franck Gbaguidi, (moderator), Director for Climate and Sustainability, Eurasia Group
As a director of sustainability at Eurasia Group, Franck helps public and private sector organizations understand evolving sustainability trends and supports them in the design of solutions that turn political risks into opportunities. He analyzes political risk across a range of sustainability issues, focusing on biodiversity policy, water resources, and environmental litigation.GZERO Media Events