IWA’s Membership Honours recognise and celebrate the achievements of IWA’s members who make significant contributions both to the IWA and to the water sector. These honours are awarded through a peer-to-peer committee. With recognition being one of the cornerstones of the IWA network model, these honours are an important pillar of the network. They are presented every two years at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition.

The IWA Membership honours are divided into three categories:

Honorary Membership –  In recognition of a career devoted to progress in the sector and to the Association.

Outstanding Service (in honour of Dr Samuel H Jenkins) – In recognition of impactful and consistent volunteer work contributing to IWA.

Outstanding Contribution to Water Management & Science (in honour of Dr Karl Imhoff and Dr Pierre Koch)  – In recognition of outstanding achievements in the area research, science, and water management.

For a full list of recipients, please see here.

Recent recipients

2024

IWA Honorary Membership

Cheryl Davis

Cheryl has been the in the water industry since 1983, when she accepted her first management position at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which provides regional water and wastewater services. She joined IWA in 2000, attending a conference in Paris which included wine, cheese, and ice sculptures at the reception and a Gala Dinner at the Louvre. Cheryl currently chairs the IWA Specialist Group on Sustainability in the Water Sector.

Dr. Jiuhui Qu

Dr. Jiuhui Qu, a professor at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Distinguished Professor at Tsinghua University, is an IWA Distinguished Fellow and member of multiple prestigious academies, including the CAE, U.S. NAE, and TWAS. Founding Editor-in-Chief of Blue-Green Systems and Water & Ecology, Prof. Qu developed a framework for safe drinking water and championed water restoration and resource recovery. His accolades include the IWA Project Innovation Award and China’s National Science and Technology Progress Award. Prof. Qu has published nine books, holds 150+ patents, and authored 700+ papers with nearly 54,000 citations.

Darryl Day
Darryl, a civil engineer passionate about the water-energy-food-ecosystem-health nexus, has been involved with the International Water Association (IWA) since 2002, serving on the Governing Board and Strategic Council. He co-chaired the SIWW Water Convention since 2009 and led the IWA Australia National Committee from 2012-2018. An IWA Distinguished Fellow (2018), Darryl is also a life member and former President of the Australian Water Association (AWA), earning AWA’s highest honor in 2023. Darryl has held leadership roles, including CEO of the Peter Cullen Trust, and continues to mentor and advise on water policy and strategic initiatives globally.

Anders Buur Bækgaard
Mr. Anders Buur Bækgaard, a civil engineer from the Technical University of Denmark (1976), began his career with the National Geological Survey for Denmark and Greenland. He later served as CEO of the Danish Water and Wastewater Association (DANVA) from 1989 to 2005, and CEO of VCS Denmark Ltd from 2005 to 2017. He held numerous board roles, including Chairman of the National Geological Survey and President of EurEau. An Honorary Member of DANVA and past Congress President for the IWA World Water Congress, Anders received the Danish Groundwater Award, Danish Initiative Award, and John Snow, Nordic Chapter Award in 2022.

IWA Outstanding Service Award

Helle Katrine Andersen

Helle Katrine Andersen, COO of the Danish Water and Waste Water Association (DANVA), has extensive international experience and is a prominent figure in the Danish and Nordic water sectors. Since joining DANVA in 2002, she has focused on governance, policy, and regulation in the water sector. An active IWA member since 2004, Helle has chaired the Danish National IWA Committee since 2012 and served on the IWA Strategic Council, the Finance International Committee, and as an IWA Board member from September 2016 to April 2021. She also chaired the host country committee for the 2022 World Water Congress in Copenhagen, aligning Danish utilities with IWA strategies and programs.

Jean-Luc Bertrand-Krajewski

Jean-Luc Bertrand-Krajewski is a Professor of Urban Hydrology at INSA Lyon, France, and has been co-president of the OTHU French Research Federation since 2023. Formerly the director of the DEEP Laboratory (2014–2020), his research focuses on urban water systems, including stormwater management, SUDs, and pollutant transport modeling. An active IWA member for over 30 years, he has chaired the IWA Urban Drainage Specialist Group, served on the Strategic Council, and led its Specialist Groups sub-committee. He became an IWA Fellow in 2018 and received the Urban Drainage Specialist Group Career Achievement Award in 2021.

IWA Award for Outstanding Contribution

Mathi Vathanan

Mr. G. Mathi Vathanan is the Principal Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Odisha, India. Since 2023, he has been a member of the IWA Advisory Board for Inclusive Urban Sanitation. He leads initiatives like the Jaga Mission, which provides land rights to slum dwellers, and the 24X7 Drink From Tap Water Supply programme, ensuring all urban households access clean water. His decentralized, community-driven approach has shaped the Odisha model of urban governance. His work has earned global recognition, including the World Habitat Awards, Global Water Leader Distinction Award, and WRI Ross Prize for Cities.

Silver Mugisha

Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha is the Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Uganda, a leading water and sanitation utility in Africa. With over 30 years of experience, he holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Economics from Makerere University, an MSc in Sanitary Engineering from IHE Delft, and a BSc in Civil Engineering. Dr. Mugisha has led organizational and performance improvements in utilities across Uganda and other African countries. He served as IWA Board Member (2014-2016) and Vice President (2016-2018), and is currently the President of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA).

Recent recipients

2022

IWA Honorary Membership

Helena Alegre
Helena has a wide national and international R&D experience on urban water systems, particularly in the fields of performance assessment and strategic asset management; she led the team who developed the IWA PI system, as well as the team who developed the Portuguese national regulatory system for quality of services assessment. Helena has had multiple roles within IWA.

Joan Rose

Joan is an international authority on water microbiology, water quality, and public health safety, and she co-directs both MSU’s Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA) and its Center for Water Sciences (CWS). Joan has been a chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Health-related Water Microbiology, she is a Distinguished Fellow, was a Board Member from 2016 until 2021 and chaired the IWA COVID-19 Task Force.

Gérard Payen

Gérard is an experienced practitioner of water management and delivery of water services. He has been working for 30 years to solve water issues in many countries all around the globe. His roles with IWA have included being Chair of the IWA Strategic Council and Member of the Board from 2006 to 2016, and he has also guided IWA on its contribution regarding the Sustainable Development Goals and the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

IWA Outstanding Service Award

Eveline Volcke

Eveline Volcke is a professor at Ghent University, Belgium. She is the founder and head of the ‘Biosystems Control (BioCo)’ research group, focusing on efficient and sustainable process design and control. Eveline has been an active IWA member for almost 20 years. She is an IWA Fellow and has served in the IWA World Water Congress Programme Committee since 2015.

Jurg Keller

Jurg is a leading water professional with nearly 30 years’ experience mainly in academic research and teaching but always in close collaboration with the water industry. His key focus is on urban water management aspects, particularly optimal integration of water and wastewater services and processes, using innovative technology and system solutions. Jurg is a Distinguished Fellow of IWA and his contributions include serving with distinction as Chair of the Programme Committee covering numerous Congresses.

2020

IWA Honorary Membership

Jiri Wanner

Prof Wanner, from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, has made significant contributions in the field of sewage treatment. He is an IWA Distinguished Fellow and his involvement with IWA spans 35 years. Prof Wanner’s, during which he contributed to the work related to his specialist areas through specialist groups, conferences and supporting the association activity in central Europe, including 25 years as Chair of the Czech Republic Governing Assembly.

Mark van Loosdrecht

Van Loosdrecht is a Professor at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. He’s an IWA Distinguished Fellow with an outstanding career in wastewater treatment with experience in the development of innovative recovery processes. With over 30 years of commitment to IWA across many activities, he contributed to the development of 15 conferences, is part of the IWA Strategic Council and has chaired various Specialist Groups.

Eligibility

The honours recognise individuals for their contribution and achievements while a member of IWA.

The Award

Each winner will receive a trophy and certificate honouring their contributions. These are presented at the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition. Subsequently, further profiling will be facilitated, including interviews for IWA communications, e.g., the IWA magazine The Source and / or the IWA website.