Can you please introduce your organisation and field of expertise?
Since May 2020, I am a senior communications consultant at KWR. My background is in food chemistry and microbiology studied at the University of Wageningen. Over the past 25 years, I have been active in market and business development in the B2B food industry. My ambitions lay in the translation of science into practical solutions, bridging science to practice.
With whom (other colleagues) from your organisation are you taking part in Watershare?
I work in a close team with Lydia Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, Gerard van den Berg and Lisa Andrews at KWR.
What can you bring to Watershare and what are you looking for?
With my marketing and communication experience, I trust I can contribute to increasing the exposure of Watershare externally while facilitating the internal communication amongst members. Through the various internal platforms( Watershare website, Watershare newsletter, Watershare sharepoint) and external channels (LinkedIn, Twitter) we aim to increase awareness and engagement. As Watershare is a community for and by members, please feel free to share with me any news you would like to share within the network or any channels you would like us to include.
What are you proud of?
Over the past year, the Watershare community on Linkedin has grown to almost 700 followers. This large number is for me the evidence that Watershare has added value and content worth sharing. I am also impressed by the enormous success of the Covid-19 webinar held in March 2020 with almost 900 participants. With this and subsequent local webinars, Watershare demonstrated that we can address the pandemic by sharing results, methodologies and expertise. This is exactly what Watershare is about!
What do you see as the biggest challenges for Waterhare in 2021?
I see two challenges for 2021. Externally, how can we, as the water sector, assure safe and sufficient water to everyone, taking into account the pandemic, climate changes and sustainable goals? Internally how can we strengthen our community?
What are your ambitions as a Watershare member?
My ambitions are finding answers to the above challenges. As I am not a water scientist, my contribution will mainly be creating awareness, communicating and reaching out.
Coronavirus/Virus research: What opportunities do you see for Watershare members?
Covid-19 is a pandemic, and it affects all of us. As an international community of renown water research institutes and utilities, we have the right elements in place to create more expertise and solutions.
