Drought in Hindsight: Water Security Planner

Drought Meet Steve Kotz Steve has more than ten years of experience in planning roles with the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water), a water utility wholly owned by the […]

Drought in Hindsight: Water Quality Expert

Drought Meet Professor Don Bursill AM Professor Don Bursill AM is an international leader and recognised expert in the field of water management and water quality. With more than 40 […]

Drought in Hindsight: Education Expert

Drought Meet Lyn Jefferies Lyn has been teaching for more than a decade with in depth experience in curriculum development and design and educational leadership. She is currently the Manager, […]

Drought in Hindsight: Family in Agriculture

Drought Meet Liza Kalogerias Liza and her family live on a 20 acre property in Renmark North, which is located along the River Murray in a region called the Riverland. […]

Drought in Hindsight: Water Industry Leader

Drought Meet Neil Palmer Neil has more than four decades of water industry experience across Government and private water utilities, regulators, international development, and water research. Well known internationally, he […]

Drought in Hindsight: Government Leader

Drought Meet the Hon Karlene Maywald During the worst drought on record in South Australia, The Hon Karlene Maywald contributed to progressing national reforms to managing the Murray Darling Basin […]

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.