Leading Utilities of the World welcomed five new members at the Global Water Summit 2025, which took place in Paris from 12th to 14th May. It is now a network of 80 members

The five new members are:

• Air Selangor, Malaysia (represented by CEO Adam Saffian Ghazali FCA)

• Emalsa, Spain (represented by Angel Fernandez Lopez, Managing Director of Saur Spain)

• Vendée Eau, France (represented by Managing Director Denis Guilbert)

• EYATH, Greece (represented by Chairman Agis Papdopoulos)

• Georgian Water & Power, Georgia (represented by General Director Jose Miguel Santos Gonzalez)

The five new members presented on their utility's innovations at the Leading Utilities inauguration session before being awarded the Golden Tap Trophy at the Global Water Awards on 13th May. Their inauguration into the network is recognition of achievement of the gold standard in utility innovation and performance.

On becoming a new member, Mr Guilbert said:

"VENDEE EAU is very proud to become part of Leading Utilities of the World, a network that represents excellence and innovation in water and wastewater management on a global scale. Such a network will help us improve in order to provide an even better public service."

Mr Papadopoulos had these words:

"It is a great privelege to be part of a group that brings together utilities from around the world. This gathering offers a valuable opportunit to share our vision for a more sustainable future, to discuss our strategies for addressing the challenges of water scarcity, and to exchange insights - both on cutting-edge technologies and on long-standing issues in our field. More importantly, it allows us to connect with the people behind the roles - because nothing can replace the value of direct human interaction."

In addition to the inauguration of five new members, there was a membership renewal for the Regional Municipality of York, represented by Commissioner for Public Works Laura McDowell.

Other Leading Utilities of the World events taking place in Paris included an invite-only workshop on workforce adaptation, a site visit to the Paris Sewer Museum and the Water Leaders Dinner. On the last day of the Summit, participants of the Future Water Leaders Tour presented on their learnings from the tour during the Utility of the Future session.

With the ongoing support of its foundation partner Jacobs, as well as corporate member Grundfos, Leading Utilities' next events will take place at Weftec in Chicago from 27th September to 1st October 2025.