What's coming after SDG's 2030?
What narratives will drive us forward in water, sustainability, and innovation? | Listen to our episode on "El Podcast del Agua", the world's #1 Spanish-language podcast on water by audience.
It was back in July 2024 when I came across some professionals who you just know are special at first sight.
It took me only two minutes on a WhatsApp call (yes, because our guest primarily uses WhatsApp calls) to say: Lylian Coelho, you must come to The Water MBA. Bring your passion and the knowledge you’ve accumulated around the globe, and let’s share it with our community.
How can I describe our guest? She is the Development Director at the AgroParisTech-Suez "Water for All" Chair. I could use hashtags for her experience like water, sanitation, women, United Nations, SDGs, …
We talked about her presence at UN summits, her perspective on the challenges facing the water industry, and how PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships) can add value to water and sanitation development.
And, of course, the big question:
With SDG 2030 just around the corner and some targets still far from being met, what comes next?
How will the landscape be shaped afterward? How can we prepare and anticipate the future?
Also, as part of SUEZ, the concept of "waste" is evolving.
Today, there is a clear shift towards extracting value from waste, encouraging a circular economy—something that indirectly impacts and benefits the water sector.
Remember, waste is transitioning into a valuable resource.
We’ll dive deeper into this topic in the near future.
We truly appreciate Lylian’s presence, and I highly recommend following her journey on LinkedIn.
Our Community Joins “El Podcast del Agua”
In the Spanish-speaking world, El Podcast del Agua is the leading water-related podcast across Spain and Latin America.
I started listening at the end of 2023, and I had the opportunity to bring its host, Daniel Herrero, onto The Water MBA for episode #30—available for our community.
This time, the tables turned, and I joined El Podcast del Agua as a guest.
It was a great experience, even if I usually prefer listening over talking.
I did my best, and I think we put together a really engaging episode. I was open and transparent, sharing my thoughts as they came.
Some of the topics we covered:
My origins in the water industry
How I learned English (Daniel joked that it was Shakespeare-level; I’m not so sure!)
Civil engineering and my journey in the field
The rise and fall of Abengoa, once a giant company, now vanished, as “name” but not as the remaining talent.
Moving from a large corporation to a smaller, more agile company
The Water MBA community—our values and purpose
Major current water challenges
I recommended 3 key professionals to be in the podcast.
Last question is about the advice for young professionals entering the industry. As professionals, we are people, and this was one of my advice:
Have more children. I see young professionals postponing this due to their careers, but it’s a never-ending cycle. The more children—and the sooner—the better.
After water, family is the most important.
For Spanish speakers, I’ve linked the episode below—it’s worth a listen. And even if you don’t tune into mine, I highly recommend following El Podcast del Agua.
There’s always something new to learn and ways to grow in our field.
Podcast Episode Recommendation
As a water explorer, I really enjoyed a recent episode of The Future of Water, Bluefield Research’s podcast that breaks down the biggest and smallest events signaling change and opportunity across the global water landscape. This episode focused on Spanish companies in the water industry.
My colleague Antonio del Olmo provided an interesting perspective on a topic that resonates deeply with me, given that I work from Spain for a Saudi-based company and daily collaborating with Chinese, French, UAE companies, etc.
I’m aware of the shifts taking place around the world, and I can tell you this episode offers great insight into what’s happening in the industry.
Key topics mentioned, as highlighted in the episode itself.
The GS Inima sale—why it’s happening and what it means for global desalination.
How Spain’s top water firms, including Acciona, FCC Aqualia, and Tedagua (now under Vinci), are navigating growth and consolidation.
Spain’s continued leadership in desalination and whether competition from French and Chinese firms is shifting the balance.
Vinci’s acquisition of Tedagua and the broader implications for consolidation trends in water engineering.
The future outlook—where Spanish firms are expanding next and what challenges they face.
Humans are taking water resources for granted it will become more complex issue compared to fuel if not taken into consideration as bottom up approach and top down policy and governance.