Women in Water and their Allies

Laura Fluck

Laura Fluck is a highly experienced professional in the water and infrastructure sectors, currently serving as the Business Line Director for Water and Program Management at AECOM in Australia and New Zealand. In her role, she is responsible for the overall strategy, growth, and client engagement of the company’s water and program management business lines. 

With more than 19 years of industry experience, Laura has held leadership positions on various projects and programs. She has worked with diverse delivery models, including integrated owners teams and capital delivery programs for prominent water authorities. Throughout her career, Laura has demonstrated a strong focus on meeting client’s needs and delivering excellent project outcomes for communities, infrastructure, and the environment. 

Laura’s educational background includes a Master’s in Construction Law and a Bachelor’s in Geomatic Engineering. Her expertise in the water and civil infrastructure sectors encompasses engineering delivery, design management, and commercial management. She has also held strategy and commercial roles, providing valuable advice and leadership in areas such as risk management, governance, water strategies, and market assessment. Laura’s broad experience spans across multiple industries, reflecting her ability to adapt to different delivery models and effectively contribute to project success. 

Overall, Laura Fluck is recognised as a passionate and pragmatic leader who prioritises client satisfaction and strives to achieve positive outcomes for the communities, infrastructure, and environment she serves. 

Simonah Ferreira

Simonah is a recent addition to the water industry, bringing her passion and expertise to projects related to water utilities, water remediation, and project management. As a first-year graduate water engineer at AECOM NZ, she is committed to making a positive impact in this critical field. 

Simonah holds a conjoint degree from the University of Auckland, where she studied a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and a Bachelor of Global Studies. Her Civil Engineering major in water engineering allowed her to delve into the technical aspects of flooding and design, while her major in international business and relations broadened her perspective on global challenges- particularly within Asia.

Simonah has actively advocated for women in STEM by working with groups such as WEN (Women in Engineering) and CESA (Civil & Structural Engineering Students’ Association) at the University of Auckland, where she contributes to mentoring programs and industry events.

Charlotte Reed

Charlotte Reed is the Water Implementation Director at the Commerce Commission.  A Chartered Engineer, Charlotte has enjoyed a variety of roles across the  water sector, ranging from detailed design to due diligence advice.  She particularly enjoys the spaces where engineering interfaces with other professions including economics, finance, IT and the law.  Her current role, to set up the Commission’s function to regulate New Zealand’s water service providers, draws on the experience she has gained from working with the water sector and its regulators in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Emma Brand

The Veolia NZ business has been delivering water services in New Zealand for 26 years and has 300 employees that Emma oversees as Country Director. Emma has long-standing experience within energy, oil and gas, hydrogen and the water sector with firms such as BP and Origin Energy, and a career focus on infrastructure development and project delivery. Emma draws on her global industry experience working in the USA, Canada and Australia.  Emma has a Master’s degree in Geophysics and a Bachelor of Science (Honours), as well as completing an Executive MBA from the Queensland University of Technology in 2020.

An advocate for diversity and gender equity, Emma is on the Executive Leadership Team of Veolia ANZ operations and is the first female New Zealand Country Director for the global organisation, one of four female Country Directors across Veolia worldwide. Emma is also the Executive Sponsor for the Accessibility Employee Resource Group for the 6,500 strong Australia-New Zealand workforce. Emma is focussed on ensuring that the workforce of Veolia represents the communities in which they operate, and is committed to ensuring a diverse and representative pipeline of individuals is trained and developed to deliver the right outcomes for the community and the environment. 

Parul Sood

Parul is an experienced public service leader, bringing more than 20 years of experience in local government in New Zealand.  Besides Auckland Council, she has held senior strategic and operational roles with the former Waitakere City and Rodney District Councils. Parul has a master’s degree in Environmental Science and a Diploma in Environmental Law.

Within Parul’s recent appointment as the Deputy Director Resilience and Infrastructure at Auckland Council, it is her role to work alongside the director resilience and infrastructure to ensure Auckland Council is delivering on its commitment to build resilience in our region and respond to the impacts of climate change. Their focus is on partnering with communities to build resilience, assessing current risks and vulnerabilities and future-proofing our infrastructure.

Parul is also the chairperson of the Waste Management Institute of New Zealand and one of the controllers for Auckland Emergency Management.