Interview with Dr Todd Bridges
‘It’s clear that the solutions that we employed in our approach to engineering in the 20th century are not aging well.’ As National Lead for the Engineering With Nature initiative, Dr Todd Bridges discusses how we must have a diversified solution set in which nature is a part of the solution.
Interview: Stéphanie Groen, Director of Coastal & Climate Change in Asia for Aurecon in Singapore
Stéphanie Groen works as the Director of Coastal & Climate Change, Asia for Aurecon. Based in Singapore, she was appointed to the position at the beginning of 2020. Previously, Stéphanie was involved in marine and environmental projects for more than 15 years with DHI and her education is in civil engineering and business administration. IADC also knows Stéphanie as the winner of the Young Author Award in 2007. More recently, she was appointed as a committee member to the prestigious FIDIC Sustainable Development Committee. We were interested to hear more from Stéphanie – her views on sustainability, the collaboration with the dredging industry through FIDIC and what her new role can mean for sustainable water infrastructure projects.
Interview: Panama Canal’s deputy administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta
Armed with degrees in both Marine Engineering and Engineering Economics as well as 35 years – and counting – of experience at the Panama Canal Authority, Ilya Espino de Marotta has blasted through the glass ceiling wearing a pink hard hat. Amongst the diverse roles she has under her belt, ranging from Marine Engineer in the shipyard to Vice President for Transit Business, Ilya has notably led the Canal’s expansion as head engineer and now oversees operations from the second highest position at the authority.
Interview: Special envoy for International Water Affairs Henk Ovink
‘Water is more than a toilet, tap, dam, dyke or levee, it's an enabler.’
Interview – CEO of DEME Group, Luc Vandenbulcke
‘What will “sustainability” be in ten years? Our industry needs to be prepared for that.’ Luc Vandenbulcke kicked off 2019 in his new role as CEO of DEME Group. After 21 years working within the group, with 14 of those years starting up, leading and growing the group’s offshore subsidiary, he is now heading the company’s future as it navigates the evolving processes of sustainability.
Interview Patrick Meire – ‘We must try to use the best of the science to manage the environment.’
Ecologist Patrick Meire has been researching the Scheldt for decades in the hope of implementing solutions which undo the damage caused by humans, industry and natural processes.