SYNOPSIS   

This session takes a step back from individual projects to address a more fundamental question: why do water systems across Southeast Asia continue to face delivery and performance challenges despite advances in engineering, digital tools, and investment?

Using the Pasig River Digital Twin as a starting point, the discussion will move beyond technology to focus on the real constraints shaping outcomes - governance, institutional alignment, delivery models, and commercial structures. The session will explore the ongoing shift from delivering assets to managing integrated systems, driven by climate pressures, urbanisation, and financial constraints. It will highlight the need for stronger coordination across agencies, basin-level planning, and long-term partnerships that support sustained performance rather than one-off interventions. The aim is to provide a practical, regionally grounded perspective with reference to both successful projects and those where benefits could have been stronger, and to stimulate discussion among practitioners on how the role of engineers is evolving, and what this means for the future of the sector. We hope you can join us for this discussion.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Mr. ADRIAN MARSDEN

Adrian Marsden is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southampton, UK. He brings over 25 years of experience in infrastructure, energy, water and wastewater projects, spanning consultant and client-side roles. His career has evolved from small-scale treatment schemes to directing complex, multi-disciplinary programmes with capital values up to USD 110 million.

Adrian has delivered projects across the UK, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, including Romania, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, gaining deep insight into diverse regulatory and cultural contexts. He has led initiatives from feasibility through delivery, with expertise in both conventional models and innovative, higher-risk developments.

In 2024–2025, he directed the Pasig River Digital Twin proof of concept in Manila, pioneering digital twin applications for river systems. Adrian currently leads Arup’sPhilippines Infrastructure team and Southeast Asia Water business, overseeing 100+professionals.