Really grateful to have been elected as the Chairperson of the IWA/IAHR Joint Committee on Urban Drainage during the International Conference on Urban Drainage in Delft this past June 2024. The next three years promise to be exciting, and I’m looking forward to working with all of you.

Our committee is made up of an amazing team of 12 people, each with their own unique expertise from different parts of the world. This diversity really enhances our collective understanding and approach to tackling urban drainage issues. I’m confident that together we can make some great strides in our field.

We’ve got a busy schedule ahead, starting with the World Water Congress in August 2024 in Canada. Following that, in 2025, we have the Urban Drainage Modelling Conference in Austria. It’s always a fantastic opportunity to discuss the latest advancements in our field. Then, we’ll have Novatech in France and the Sewer Processes and Networks Conference in Norway, both in 2026, which are great platforms for sharing practical solutions and innovative ideas. Finally, in 2027, we’ll be hosting the next International Conference on Urban Drainage (ICUD) in China—definitely a big milestone for us.

In the meantime, there will be smaller activities like webinars to keep us engaged and updated on the latest developments and lots of activities by our nine working groups focusing on different topics. such as urban streams, emerging contaminants, and blue-green infrastructure. These groups are integral to our field, and we would love for more people to join us in these efforts.

I’m really happy to welcome our new members: Mariacrocea Sambito from Italy, Veljko Prodanovic from Serbia, Frederic Cherqui from France, Seith Mugume from Uganda, and our Young Water Professional, Baiqian (Luke) Shi from Australia. They all bring fresh insights and energy that will be a huge asset to our committee.

At the same time, I want to express my deep thanks to our departing members: David McCarthy, Ulrich Dittmer, Karine Borne, Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sánchez, and Takashi Sakakibara. Their contributions have been invaluable, and their work will continue to inspire us. A special shoutout to David McCarthy, who has served as Chair with such dedication.

Our new members are also bringing in some exciting new initiatives, particularly around education and public outreach. It’s so important to engage with the broader community and enhance public understanding of urban drainage issues. I encourage everyone to join our mailing list and LinkedIn group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9845447/) to stay connected and get involved.

In closing, I’m really looking forward to the journey ahead. Together, we can continue to advance the field of urban drainage and make meaningful contributions to different topics in urban water management. Thanks again for your support and trust. Let’s make the next three years really count!