SPEAKERS

Title of the speech:  Improving the utilisation of rainwater and effluent in urban areas 

Jean Venables is a Chartered Civil Engineer with a long career in flood risk and water level management.

She was Chairman of the Thames Regional Flood Defence Committee from 1994 to 2003. She led the formation of the Thames Estuary 2100 Project that created the long-term plan for flood risk management in the Estuary, and led the Expert Commentary Panel for the Project.

Jean is a Past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (2008-9). Very unusually, Jean has been given three awards in the UK honours system: the MBE for services to civil engineering, the OBE for services to flood defence, and the CBE for services to the civil engineering profession.

Jean is also an elected member of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers. The Universities of Kent, Kingston, Abertay and Nottingham have awarded Jean Honorary Doctorates.

Her current volunteer appointments include:

• Visiting Professor, Coventry University;
• Vice President of the UK Association of Drainage Authorities;
• Member of the Environment Agency’s Anglian (Great Ouse) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee;
• Member of various committees of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• Vice President of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution;