Dr. Franziska Meinzinger

Dr. Franziska Meinzinger is Head of Infrastructure Development and Management Systems & Technology at HAMBURG WASSER, Hamburg’s public water and wastewater utility. She brings more than 20 years of experience in wastewater, stormwater management and urban water infrastructure, with a strong focus on climate adaptation, resilient cities and the transformation of water systems.

In her current role, Franziska is responsible for strategic infrastructure development and technology development, working at the interface of engineering, urban development, environmental performance and long-term asset resilience. Her work focuses on turning complex regulatory, technical and societal requirements into practical strategies for sustainable water infrastructure and future-ready utility operations.

She leads HAMBURG WASSER’s international Water Operator Partnerships, supporting peer-to-peer collaboration and knowledge exchange with utilities in countries including Ukraine, Jordan, South Africa and Tanzania. In addition, she serves on the Board of German Water Partnership, Germany’s leading network for international water expertise. Together, these roles give her a strong operator’s perspective and international insight into capacity development, infrastructure transformation and the implementation potential of innovative water solutions.

Franziska holds a PhD in civil engineering, focused on resource efficiency and source-separating sanitation systems, and studied in Germany, South Africa, Tunisia and New Zealand. Her combination of utility leadership, international perspective and expertise in urban water resilience brings a practical operator’s lens to the assessment of innovative water technologies, their scalability and their relevance for future infrastructure markets.