Profile
Prof Ian Barker
Honorary Professor
Prof. Ian Barker is Managing Director of Water Policy International Ltd, an independent consultancy and commentator on water management, regulation, policy and governance.
Ian is an expert advisor to the OECD, advising them on water governance, regulation and policy and is a founding member of their global water governance initiative. He is also Vice-President Environment, Fellow and Director at the Institute of Water; a Council Member at the Society for the Environment; a Director of the Water Industry Forum and a Visiting Professor at the University of Exeter Centre for Water Systems.
Ian has over 35 years’ experience in the water sector, including having had overall responsibility at the Environment Agency for water planning, regulation and management, as well as fisheries, biodiversity and land management, across England and Wales. At the EA Ian worked closely with Defra and was responsible for specifying the water companies’ programmes of environmental investment totalling £1 billion pa. He also had oversight of their long-term plans for water supply security and drought management, and the management of all abstractions and discharges by all sectors. He now works with the OECD, UNESCO, governments, regulators, water companies and major consultancies.