Diane D’Arras

As a civil engineer from the “École des Ponts ParisTech” and graduated from the “Paris Institute of Politic Sciences”, she began her career in 1977 in a Water Basin Agency where she was in charge of water quality research programs.

In 1981, she joined Suez a Water and Solid Waste Company. After a first experience for Suez in water operations in the western part of Paris (population: 1 million), she had the opportunity to join Aguas Argentinas in Buenos Aires in May 1993, becoming the Operations Manager (7 million inhabitants, 2.5 million clients served, 2,000 employees). In 1998, she became Research Senior Vice President at Degrémont, the infrastructure company of Suez, and then, joining the Comex of Suez, she oversaw Technology, Research and Innovation at the group level. From 2011 to 2017, she took in charge development and operations in Western and Central Europe for water businesses. She retired in January 2018 from Suez after 37 years in the company.

Elected President of International Water Association (IWA) for a first mandate (September 2016/ September 2018), she has been renewed for a second mandate (September 2018/September 2020) which has been postponed until April 2021 due to COVID. She brought all her concrete and operational water experience and her to-day “free time” at the service of IWA, confident that it is the right moment for moving things ahead to bridge the gap between the UN vision of SDGs and the solutions providers and the water utilities.

Diane D’Arras is a member of Emerald’s Global Impact Water Fund Advisory Council.