The merger of two prominent and long-standing professional water associations in 1999, set the stage for a new organization with unlimited possibilities, and yet an organization whose future had yet to be defined.  The big steps included defining the new organization consensually; building out a set of programs responsive to the challenges ahead; managing the mosaic of interests (water vs wastewater, researchers vs practitioners, geographical segments, age cohorts, etc), while growing IWA’s top academic journals.  All the while, putting on global conferences every two years.  In retrospect, it was the proverbial tale of building the airplane while flying it.    

After only five years following the merger, it was clear that IWA had emerged as the pre-eminent international professional/technical association for urban water professionals with members in 130 countries, and a scope that spanned water supply, waste-water management and urban storm water.  On it’s 10^th anniversary in 2010, IWA had organized World Water Congresses in Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Marrakech, Beijing, Vienna and Montreal, developed its own Biennial World Water Development Conference series, and was backing or organizing 50 Specialist Group conferences and tailored workshops per year (one per week somewhere in the world).  In parallel, IWA was a significant voice of the water professionals in global-level forums sponsored by the UN, the World Bank the Stockholm Water Symposium.

The secret to IWA’s success was in: harnessing the energy, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit of its members, their leaders and five extraordinary Presidents; uniting the membership through a shared vision and mission; facilitating their collaboration through significant forums for interaction; all while building a growing repository of formal knowledge through the journals.  In short, building the new IWA meant building, challenging and exercising a world-wide team to the nth power!