CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) has named Steve Thompsett as the organisation’s 36th president.
Bushra Hussain becomes this year’s president-elect, Emily Shipton its junior president, and Sian Leake its junior president-elect. Hannah Coogan completes the presidential team, as this year’s vice-president.
Steve Thompsett MCIWEM C.WEM, currently chief advisor at Blue Compass, said:
“What an honour to become the president of CIWEM, at a time when the water environment sits at the very centre of some of our biggest global challenges, whether in food production, meeting our energy needs or responding to climate and ecological change.
“The complex webs we weave in an attempt to link everything together are inherently problematic. They sometimes result in dramatic changes that we are only just beginning to understand, that predate us by decades or hundreds of years. We often describe these problems as wicked. Problems that are difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements are often also difficult to recognise.
“CIWEM fits in that pivotal place, facilitating the connections between complex environmental challenges and the solutions we need for effective delivery, unlocking widespread benefits and opportunities. CIWEM’s new strategy is built on the premise that we can join the dots, something that, as a presidential team, we knew we could help to drive forwards.
“What can you expect from us? You can expect challenging questions. The presidential team is reaching out to places it may not have been before and engaging a solutions-focused approach as I collect the baton from Nicholas Howden, whose presidential theme was lifelong, multidisciplinary professional development. The key question for all of us at CIWEM is how we bring our collective expertise together to deliver wicked solutions to the wicked problems we face today.”
