• Professor: Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State

I am a Professor Emeritus in the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Free State, now retired in Australia. I serve as an editor for Water Policy, the official journal of the World Water Council. I previously served as a Deputy Governor of the World Water Council, representing the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, where I was Unit Fellow and Vice Chairman of the Research Advisory Panel (RAP). I was trained as the media spokesperson for the CSIR as the subject matter specialist on water and the environment.

The evolution of my academic career was driven by factors that I had no control over. I came into academia from the national security space, which is my niche specialty. During the latter portion of the Cold War, I served as an intelligence officer, so I have specialist knowledge about converting data into actionable intelligence needed to optimize process and reduce risk. In that role I was responsible for developing the foundation for understanding water as a national security risk in water constrained economies. I have served on the board of a company in the Artificial Intelligence space, focusing on complex industrial fluids. I am currently the head of strategy in a Singapore-based startup company developing artificial intelligence systems for water constrained economies.

As a scientist I have migrated from a pure research environment to an applied research environment, specifically with respect to the private sector as an element of the solution. In this regard I have deep insight into the South African Water Crisis as a sub-set of the emerging Global Water Crisis. Now that I live in Australia, I am in a good position to compare different policy responses. I have served in an advisory capacity to senior executives in the mining sector, focusing on risk mitigation in the environmental domain arising from the processing of pyritic mineral resources. I have also worked in a confidential advisory role to the financial services sector, and food processing sector, specifically regarding their risk exposure to water insecurity.

• –present Professor: Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State

Nick Steele Memorial Award - Environmentalist of the Year

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