Piet Dircke is the ARCADIS Global Leader for Water Management and 100 resilient Cities platform partner. He was a Professor in Urban Water Management at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences till 2014 and co-author and editor on three “Connecting Delta Cities” Books for the C40 based CDC Network.  He was involved in coastal resilience plans for the Netherlands, Bangkok, Jakarta Semarang and Myanmar.
Since Katrina  he is one of the most influential Dutch representatives in knowledge exchange with USA on flood protection and climate resiliency, active in New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Norfolk.

Edgar Westerhof is Arcadis’ Flood Risk and Resiliency Lead for North America. Edgar is a water consultant with 18 years of experience in integrated urban water management. He has a deep understanding of urban and industrial flood proofing concepts, infrastructure planning and design, sustainable urban water management and waterfront development and international water management concepts. Edgar was leading the ARCADIS participation in the international HUD Rebuild by Design competition, including the winning BIG U – Waterfront Resiliency Plan of Manhattan. Edgar functions as the climate change adaptation specialist regarding integrated and multi-layered coastal waterfront and urban water management strategies. He bridges the understanding on water management between the Netherlands and the US and plays a key role in the identification and implementation of our local and international flood proofing expertise. As the Flood Risk & Resiliency Lead, Edgar is the Rockefeller Foundation 100RC participation lead for the US and involved in strategic initiatives regarding climate change adaptation and water resiliency concepts. Edgar functions as a press spokesperson in the US and the NL and is a frequent speaker at conferences and professional events regarding city resilience and sustainability.

As the Global Cities Director for Arcadis, John leads a global team dedicated to delivering outcomes that improve quality of life, safely and sustainably.

The Arcadis Cities initiative positions cities to navigate the complexities by understanding the bigger picture; whether it is resiliency, regeneration or mobility focused.

John was also the Global Water Director from 2015-2016; Arcadis’ Water business focuses on the entire water cycle - from source to tap and then back to nature.

He is Senior Economic Officer at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, where he has been integrally involved in every stage of the Dutch-American collaboration in the wake of Superstorm Sandy (2012).  Over his career he has worked in private business, NGOs, educational organizations and as an independent consultant. He is a licensed Captain and Visiting Associate Professor at Pratt Institute where he teaches a summer seminar in Waterfront and Wetlands Planning. He lives 3.5m above sea level in Hoboken, New Jersey with his family.

My name is Giel Hendriks, I have master in Urban Planning & Water Management. I've worked at Witteveen+Bos conducting research and fieldwork on a project focused on Sustainable Area Development within the horticulture-sector of Almere. The project included the search for innovative waste-management and energy-sharing and energy-exchanging methods. During my internship at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Cotonou I conducted research upon the Private Sector Development in Benin and the role of International Cooperation. Having obtained my master on Environmental & Infrastructure Planning, I like to combine my geographical background and my skills in water management to find sustainable solutions and reinforce the social and environmental capacity of third world cities. You can follow me on twitter @GAHendriks!