Teodor Popa has over 25 years of experience in the water sector and held responsibility positions from the early stages of his career. He had the opportunity to contribute and participate to the transformation and modernisation of the water sector in Romania from a double perspective: as a utility manager and member of the national (ARA) and international (IWA) professional associations.

His double qualification as economist and engineer, made him understand the water industry better. Joining IWA as a simple participant and later in the Statistics and Economics Specialist Group (vice chair), being appointed in the Strategic Council and later becoming IWA Fellow, broadened his vision and deepened his understanding about the association, its working mechanisms and allowed him to promote the new ideas in his own country and the region, contributing to bring his country to join the developed countries standards in water management.

An expert for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and for the World Bank,  Teodor Popa is the Financial Manager of Compania APA Brasov (water utility) in Romania since 2001. In addition to the role’s usual responsibilities he has been involved in the structural changes, regionalisation processes and the evolution to the corporatisation of the water utility. In the past (1991-2001), he worked as a Project Officer for the Compania Apa Brasov, the first major internationally funded project in Romania, financed by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.