Eva Schreuder
Eva Schreuder is Head of the Water team at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she leads the Netherlands’ international water policy and partnerships. In this role, she works at the intersection of water, climate and development, focusing on strengthening global water security, climate resilience and sustainable delta management.

Eva plays a key role in shaping the Netherlands’ contribution to international water agendas, including collaboration with multilateral organisations, governments and the private sector. Her work emphasises integrated approaches that connect water with broader challenges such as food security, climate adaptation and economic development.

With a strong focus on international cooperation and long-term impact, Eva brings a strategic policy perspective to Waterproof 2026. During the plenary opening, she reflects on the importance of global partnerships and the role of the Dutch water sector in addressing urgent water and climate challenges worldwide.

Afke Mulder
Afke Mulder is Deputy Director for Water and Climate Adaptation (International) at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. In this role, she works on strengthening international cooperation on water security, climate adaptation and resilient delta management.

Afke focuses on connecting policy, practice and partnerships, ensuring that Dutch expertise contributes to sustainable solutions worldwide. She is closely involved in international programmes and collaborations that address the growing impacts of climate change on water systems.

At Waterproof 2026, she joins the plenary opening, bringing a policy perspective on how international cooperation can accelerate climate-resilient water solutions.
 

Petra Dankers
Petra Dankers is a Leading Professional Nature-based Solutions at Haskoning with over twenty years of experience in addressing water-related challenges in coastal and river systems worldwide. Her work focuses on developing robust, climate-resilient design solutions that balance safety, economic feasibility and ecological value.

Petra combines technical expertise with a strong drive to find practical, integrated solutions tailored to complex and uncertain environments shaped by climate change. In recent years, she has increasingly focused on creating resilient engineering approaches that can adapt to long-term climate impacts.

Her work closely aligns with the collaborative approach of Partners for Water, connecting technical innovation with real-world application. Since March 2026 she is also Interim Director at EcoShape.

Liza Faber
Liza Faber is Head of Water Innovation and an investor at PureTerra Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to accelerating impactful water technologies worldwide. With a background in water engineering and experience in water-focused investment firms, she combines deep technical knowledge with financial expertise to identify and scale innovative solutions in the water sector.

Her work focuses on bridging the gap between technology and market adoption, supporting startups that contribute to more sustainable and resilient water systems. Liza is particularly interested in how investment can accelerate solutions across the water cycle – from digitisation and decentralisation to climate resilience.

At Waterproof 2026, she brings a unique perspective on how finance and innovation can work together to scale water solutions and drive real impact in addressing global water challenges.

Kees van Baar
Kees van Baar is the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Vietnam, where he plays a key role in strengthening bilateral cooperation on water, climate and sustainable development. With a long-standing diplomatic career, he has held positions as Ambassador to South Sudan, Human Rights Ambassador of the Netherlands, and Representative to the Palestinian Territories.

Throughout his career, Kees has worked at the intersection of international cooperation, development, and policy, with a strong focus on fragile contexts, sustainability and inclusive growth. In Vietnam, he is closely involved in advancing partnerships on delta management, climate adaptation and water resilience – areas where the Netherlands and Vietnam share both challenges and expertise.

At Waterproof 2026, he brings a diplomatic perspective on how international collaboration and long-term partnerships can accelerate water and climate action at scale.

Theme 1:  Water for Climate Action: accelerating adaptation from local to delta scale

Philip Minderhoud
Philip Minderhoud is an Earth Scientist specialising in coastal and deltaic systems, with a focus on land subsidence, coastal elevation and relative sea-level rise. As Associate Professor at Wageningen University and advisor at Deltares, he combines fundamental research with applied science to better understand and predict how deltas are changing under both natural processes and human influence. His recent research, published in Nature and widely covered in international media, revealed that sea levels along coastlines are significantly higher than previously assumed, putting millions more people at risk worldwide.

His work aims to improve projections of sea-level rise and subsidence, translating scientific insights into practical strategies for sustainable delta management. Philip is particularly passionate about bridging science, policy and practice, and raising awareness of the growing risks facing coastal regions worldwide.

At Waterproof 2026, he brings his expertise on how accelerating sea-level rise and sinking deltas demand new ways of working – not against water, but in balance with natural systems.

Theme 2: Enabling Environment: from policy to practice

Neha Mungekar
Neha Mungekar is a researcher at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, specialising in participatory water governance, just transitions and transformative urban change. With a background in architecture and urban design, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to complex water challenges, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts in the Global South.

Her work explores how governance arrangements can become more just, adaptive, and responsive, particularly in settings shaped by institutional fragmentation and historical inequalities. She focuses on strengthening environmental compliance through collaborative approaches, examining how citizen science, and participatory processes can support more accountable and grounded forms of governance. Through her research, she examines power dynamics, informal systems and co-creation processes that shape water management in cities.

At Waterproof 2026, Neha contributes to the session Enabling Environment: from policy to practice, bringing insights on how collaboration, participation and governance innovation can turn water strategies into real impact.

Theme 3: Water security innovations: closing the gap to achieve SDG 6 by 2030

Dorien Lugt
Dorien Lugt is a water and climate expert at HKV, where she works on flood risk management and weather and climate services. Her expertise focuses on translating complex data – such as rainfall forecasts, early warning systems and climate scenarios – into practical tools for water managers and decision-makers.

Dorien is actively involved in projects that combine data science, modelling and real-time information to improve flood preparedness and response, including the development of innovative forecasting tools and applications. Her work bridges science and practice, helping to make water systems more resilient in the face of increasing climate variability.

At Waterproof 2026, Dorien contributes to the theme Water Security Innovations, sharing insights on how data-driven solutions can strengthen water safety and support smarter decision-making.