Water Market Intelligence & the Power of Being Informed
Water Market Intelligence, Waste Water Reuse and Goodbye SDG's 2030 and Welcome 2050.
This episode is a good one. Information is power. Staying updated is power. Being ahead of the curve is power.
The more prepared you are, the better positioned you’ll be to seize opportunities and make informed decisions.
As professionals, we’re constantly moving forward—often caught up in solving short-term issues.
But I love stepping back, brainstorming, and looking at long-term trends and industry dynamics.
Change is constant, and understanding the context is crucial.
This ties into The Water MBA narrative and the value of being part of a strong community. But today, we’re focusing on something specific: the importance of Water Market Intelligence.
Last year in 2024, I had dinner in my home city with Keith Hays, VP at Bluefield Research.
It was fascinating to learn about the work these professionals do—connecting dots, extracting insights, and providing valuable market intelligence in an industry as complex as water.
It’s an exciting but challenging job.
For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Cardenal, one of Bluefield’s “Young Water Professionals”. Yes, she is actually member of the #1 worldwide cluster of Young Water Professionals, which is Spain, clear proof of the value of this network.
She’s top, that kind of profile that represents a potential true bridge between different players with different interests.
We had an insightful conversation covering:
What’s it like working at Bluefield Research?
What value do clients get when working with them?
Case studies on Wastewater Reuse—market trends and key takeaways
A dive into Los Angeles’ Wastewater Reuse Network
Maria’s career journey, future perspectives, and the main challenges she faces in her work.
It was particularly interesting to see Spain’s position as the #1 country in Europe for wastewater reuse, as well as the United States' advancements compared to Europe.
The Los Angeles case was especially clear, showcasing a scenario that could easily be replicated in many cities worldwide. If you still don’t fully understand how seawater intrusion affects groundwater, LA’s case provides a great example.
She also found it particularly challenging to gather relevant information and extract applicable conclusions—framing insights in clear, contextualized terms that can be easily understood.
But in the end, this is the true value they provide to clients: the ability to synthesize, communicate, and deliver actionable knowledge amid a vast amount of updates, perspectives, and scattered data from around the world.
It was a great chat, packed with insights for anyone in the water sector. I hope you find it valuable!
Goodbye 2030, Welcome 2050?
Over the past two years, I’ve become obsessed with understanding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda—how they shape the world, the geopolitical forces behind them, and what they really mean for the future.
Because let’s be honest, 2030 is just around the corner.
If I had to deliver a project today to support the SDGs by 2030, it would already be too late.
That realization led me to ask professionals with a broad industry perspective:
What happens after 2030?
How will the status of these goals be framed?
What new targets will emerge?
Some of the conversations I had were truly inspiring.
And while no one has all the answers yet, one thing is getting clear: start getting used to a new “deadline”—2050.
By then, if life allows, I’ll be 61.
And one thing I know for sure—I’ll still be working toward a better water industry, leaving something meaningful for the next generation.
Because let’s be real: we won’t reach perfection in the next 5, or even 25 years.
But that doesn’t mean we stop. Every day, we can do something good.
So, as we approach 2030, let’s also start thinking ahead. What will our next big milestone be?
In a few weeks, we’ll be releasing an episode with someone who is truly behind the scenes of what’s happening in this space today.
Stay tuned—big things are coming in 2025!
Is Purpose Enough?
I recently had an interesting conversation, which I will further develop in one of our upcoming episodes.
It was about how to bring more capital into the water industry and attract new talent.
I mentioned that the new generation is the most purpose-driven— a clear reflection of this is The Water MBA.
However, our guest pointed out that purpose alone may not be sufficient.
We need to build strong businesses, and money is the means to create and sustain them.
It’s not about accumulating wealth; money has to flow through you.
The purpose and vision of new professionals must be supported by financial resources.
So, beyond promoting a purpose-driven mindset, we should also embrace a business-driven mindset—one that can help make our industry more relevant and attractive.
We'll explore this further in the coming weeks.