5th ICE/CIWEM Yorkshire and Humber flooding and water quality conference

Professor Roger Falconer

Roger is Emeritus professor of Water and Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University, chair professor at Hohai University, China, and an independent water and environmental engineering consultant. He has held academic posts at the universities of Birmingham, Bradford, and Cardiff and has led large research teams on a wide range of research projects on flood and water quality modelling.

He has been involved in over 100 EIA studies worldwide and has published extensively in the field. He regularly advises the water industry and UK and international government agencies on flooding and water quality issues, and regularly participates in media and TV interviews on these topics.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Engineering (Foreign Member), Institution of Civil Engineers and Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. He is an Honorary Member and Past-President of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering & Research (2011-15). 

Lord (Charles) Banner KC

Lord (Charles) Banner KC is a leading planning and environmental silk at Keating Chambers with a nationally recognised practice spanning infrastructure, development, energy and public law. Appointed King's Counsel in 2019, he has extensive advocacy experience, including more than 200 reported cases and numerous appearances before the UK Supreme Court.

He advises on some of the UK's most significant development and infrastructure projects and is particularly renowned for his expertise in the intersection of planning, environmental regulation and major project delivery.

Since 2024, he has served as a Working Peer in the House of Lords. He was also appointed by the Prime Minister to undertake the Independent Review of Legal Challenges to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, whose recommendations have helped shape recent planning and infrastructure reforms.

Natasha Barlow

Natasha Barlow is technical director of coastal resilience at Haskoning, where she leads the development and delivery of innovative coastal adaptation, flood risk and climate resilience projects across the UK.

Previously Professor of environmental change at the University of Leeds, Natasha has over 20 years of experience spanning research, consultancy and leadership in coastal and environmental change. Her internationally recognised research has focused on sea-level rise, coastal dynamics and long-term environmental change, resulting in more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, and contributions to national and international climate assessments.

Today, Natasha applies her expertise to real-world coastal and flood resilience challenges, leading innovate environmental consultancy projects, as well having a passion for science communication. She is enthusiastic about translating complex science into practical, people and environmental-centred solutions that help communities and the coast prepare for a changing climate.

Dr Beth Barnes

Dr Beth Barnes is the regional director for the North East, Yorkshire & Humber, joining the ICE in January 2025. She has previous experience as an assistant professor at Durham University. She taught civil engineering from fundamental first year mechanics, to design of steel and concrete to Eurocodes and surveying.

Her research background is in exploring the poor representation of pedestrian behaviours in agent-based simulations of disaster and hazard events on differing scales from a pavement (micro) to city environment (macro), which links to Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable and Resilient Cities). 

Prior to this she worked in industry in both consultancy and contracting roles in the transport and water sectors. She is an advocate for diversity and has continuously championed outreach initiatives, including setting up and leading a Women’s Engineering Society at Durham University and facilitating departmental outreach connections with over 6000 local young people annually.

Victoria Brayshaw

Victoria Brayshaw is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and incoming Yorkshire & Humber regional chair. Her work over the last 20 years combines engineering expertise, emerging technologies, nature-based solutions, and catchment-scale thinking to address some of the most pressing challenges facing communities and the environment.

As a director and head of civil engineering at Tetra Tech, Victoria leads a national team delivering innovative and sustainable approaches to water management, flood-risk reduction, and infrastructure resilience across England. Victoria is deeply committed to knowledge-sharing and developing talent.

Through her work with the Institution of Civil Engineers, she supports technical excellence and the next generation of engineering professionals. In 2023, Victoria was recognised on the Northern Power Women Power List.

Jenny Cooke

Jenny is a national portfolio management leader bringing extensive experience in flood and coastal risk management, programme delivery, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to her current role, Jenny served as flood risk manager, leading investment programmes and working closely with regional and national partners to manage flood risk. 

Her career spans environmental project management, programme leadership, and river and coastal engineering in the office and on site, giving her a broad perspective on the development and delivery of flood resilience projects. Jenny is passionate about collaborative working and building strong partnerships to support effective and sustainable flood risk management.

Dr Richard Crowder

Mike Dugher

Mike Dugher is area director for Yorkshire at the Environment Agency, leading around 700 people across a range of environmental regulation, advisory and delivery roles. He joined the Environment Agency in 2000 after working as a civil engineering consultant and has built a career spanning flood and coastal risk management, operational leadership and strategic partnership working.

Mike has held a range of senior roles, including area manager for Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire; deputy director for FCRM Strategy Delivery; and Contact Centre Services; Humber manager and as director for Corporate & National Services. His expertise covers flood resilience, environmental regulation, major programme delivery and organisational transformation.

As area director, he leads the Environment Agency’s relationship with Yorkshire Water, works closely with MPs, Mayors and regional partners, and supports major environmental and flood risk initiatives across Yorkshire and the Humber. He also contributes to national leadership on flood resilience, adaptation and delivery programmes.

Sun Yan Evans

Sun Yan Evans FREng, FICE, FCIWEM, CEng is a Mott MacDonald Fellow and flood risk & water quality director with over 35 years' experience in flood risk, water quality and environmental management. She has led and advised on major infrastructure and water projects across more than 30 countries, helping clients deliver resilient and sustainable solutions.

She is recognised for her leadership in advancing flood resilience, water quality improvement and environmental sustainability through innovative, systems-based approaches. Sun Yan is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Trustee of CIWEM, and a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge.

She is widely respected for her technical innovation, systems thinking and commitment to mentoring future engineers and professionals. Passionate about developing people and advancing the profession, she actively supports professional development, knowledge sharing and collaboration across industry, academia and the public sector.

Barry Hankin

Barry has 30 years’ experience, five in academia, three regulatory and 22 years in consultancy, and has been head of environmental modelling at JBA for fifteen years. He has specialised in modelling and management of whole-catchment resilience, advancing techniques for distributed modelling of nature-based flood risk and diffuse pollution measures to improve our understanding of resilience.

He helped the EA build, develop and refine a national unsteady, process-based water quality model (CSF-HYPE) to investigate the effectiveness of Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming programme. He led the winning entry to the UK Defra Flood Modelling Competition, demonstrating advanced approaches to testing the resilience of natural flood management under a range of extreme rainfall scenarios.

Encapsulating this interdisciplinary work, he has led the technical development of JBA's new Resilience Studio, an interactive platform to help develop resilience-pathways.  He is an honorary researcher at Lancaster University and has contributed to over 50 peer-reviewed articles.

Cllr Katie Kimber

Katie Kimber lives in the flood-prone Calder Valley and became a flood warden after her own home was flooded on Boxing Day 2015. Over the past ten years, she has helped her community prepare for flooding and support one another when it happens.

Katie believes that flood resilience starts with informed and connected communities. When people understand the flood risk to their homes, know where to find reliable information and are aware of the practical steps they can take, they are better able to prepare, respond and recover. 

Duncan Kitts

Duncan is UK/Europe lead for TUFLOW, with 20 years’ experience in hydraulic modelling and flood risk management.  He has worked in many different aspects of flood risk and erosion management with a particular focus on hydraulic modelling including fluvial and pluvial flood modelling, integrated urban drainage as well as flood forecasting, water quality and sediment transport modelling.  

Duncan has spent the last 16 years working for various flood modelling software houses and has provided training to a range of governmental agencies and technical consultants internationally.

Evie Knapper

Environmental scientist with over four years' experience in the UK water industry, supporting a range of regulatory and investment-driven projects for clients across the country.

Experienced in water quality modelling, in particular Urban Pollution Management (UPM) assessments under the Environment Act and Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF). Experience in undertaking inland river bathing water assessments to address public health concerns associated with designated bathing waters.

Background in catchment water quality and delivery of Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). Holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science and is committed to delivering sustainable solutions that improve water quality, protect the environment, and support regulatory compliance across the water sector. 

Dr Anna Lavelle

Dr Anna Lavelle is a senior scientist specialising in water quality and river health. She has experience delivering water quality assessments, environmental impact assessments, regulatory investigations and catchment-scale studies for a range of public and private sector clients.

Anna works across environmental monitoring and assessment, helping clients better understand the factors affecting freshwater ecosystems and river health. She has experience leading the design of monitoring programmes and delivering water quality assessments as part of multidisciplinary projects and teams.

Prior to joining Arup, Anna completed a NERC-funded PhD at King's College London, where she investigated stream ecosystem responses to restoration across urban tributaries of the River Thames.

Kimberley MacPherson

Will McBain

Will leads Arup’s work related to adaptation and resilience (water environment) in the UK, India, Middle East and Africa. A director of Arup, he is a Fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and a leading proponent of integrated solutions to water and environmental challenges of all kinds.

Will is Arup’s framework director on the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) Collaborative Delivery Framework, on which Arup is Lot 1 Consultant in the Northeast/Yorkshire and Midlands hubs. He is on the Board of the EA’s Decarbonisation Accelerator Programme and is Arup’s project director for three of the EA’s national Adaptation Pathway Pilots. He is an active sustainability advocate, with a strong presence on LinkedIn. 

Adam Parkes

Adam Parkes is a Chartered Scientist, hydraulic modeller and hydrologist with over two decades of experience in flood risk management and water resources consultancy. As technical director for flood products at Jacobs, he leads the strategic and technical direction of flood modelling solutions, including Flood Modeller and associated digital products.

His expertise spans hydrology, hydraulic modelling, flood forecasting, flood alleviation schemes, reservoir safety, drainage strategy development and environmental risk assessment. Adam has worked with a broad range of clients to develop and implement flood risk management interventions at all scales, as well as advising on and deploying digital technologies into the water sector, adopting the latest technologies.

Dr Devakunjari Vadibeler

Dr Devakunjari Vadibeler is a water scientist at Arup, passionate about tackling some of the water sector’s most pressing challenges through science, innovation, and collaboration. Her work focuses on improving water quality, resilience, and sustainability, with a particular interest in emerging micropollutants, including PFAS.

Before joining Arup in 2025, Deva was an Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate, leading a Property Flood Resilience project that successfully bridged research and industry. The project was recognised as Outstanding by Innovate UK, and Deva was named one of the 50 Faces of KTP, celebrating individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the programme over its 50-year history.

Deva holds a PhD in Isotope Hydrology from Vienna, Austria and Deva brings international experience across research, industry, and consultancy, and is committed to developing practical, sustainable solutions for future water challenges.

Phil Welton

Phil is a Chartered Civil Engineer, and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with 28 years experience working in flood risk management. He started his career delivering a diverse range of flood and coastal schemes, before leading the flood risk management teams in the North East of England as the area flood and coastal risk manager.

For the past 10 years Phil has held the role of national engineering manager within the Environment Agency’s Technical Authority, leading the delivery of engineering improvements into the business, providing technical leadership to operational teams, and leading the engineering graduate training scheme.

Phil specialises in reservoir management and is the EA’s national reservoir lead. He also leads the Asset Health programme, which aims to raise the baseline of asset understanding in the EA from Asset Condition to Asset Health.