Esteban has a background in economics, shelter/housing and settlement program design and management, capacity building, as well as building constructions and reconstruction projects in post-crisis situations and urban resilience building. He has been working for UN-Habitat since 2002 based in Nairobi, Geneva, Panama and Barcelona.

Marc Velasco (MSc in Civil Engineering) has almost 10 years of experience in water-related projects, particularly modelling floods, sewer networks and water resources. He has been involved in several FP7 projects related to climate change and water and has experience on climate change impact studies, statistical analysis of climate modelling data and implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures. He has specific experience with projects related to the telemetering of water distribution networks, linking the commercial, asset management and metering systems of the SUEZ group companies. He is the project manager of H2020-RESCCUE, a multi-sectoral approach to urban resilience that is coordinated by Aquatec.

Gemma has been working in public and non-profit organisations for almost two decades in the field of communications and awareness. Currently, she is working in the Barcelona City Council and is seconded to UN-Habitat facilitating city-to-city collaboration, knowledge sharing and outreach. Prior to joining the municipality, Gemma worked in the private sector.

Ares has been Head of the Resilience Department, which is under the Infrastructure and Urban Coordination Management of the Barcelona City Council, since November 2013. She is currently responsible for the development of the resilience strategy and project implementation carried out through the Resilience Boards (TISU). She has a background in architecture and public space design, and she has been working for the municipality of Barcelona since 2006. Before joining the Resilience Programme in September 2012, she worked in the 22@ District Transformation Project, an integrative urban renewal process of the former industrial area of Barcelona.

Helene is an urban resilience expert which an academic background in architecture and urban fields and further specialisation spanning from sustainable development to resilience and disaster risk reduction. She joined UN-Habitat City Resilience Profiling Programme in 2013, based in Nairobi (Kenya), and, in 2015, she relocated to Barcelona (Spain). Currently, she is focused on normative and operational activities, including the deployment of the Programme in Dakar, Senegal, and providing technical expertise to the RESCCUE project. Prior to that, she worked in the French public administration, as well as in architectural conservation and transformation in Zanzibar.

PhD in Civil engineering, full professor of Hydraulics and Hydrology at the Technical College of La Almunia (University of Zaragoza, Spain) and Director of the GIHA (Group of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering) Research Group. R&D+i project manager at AQUATEC Suez Advanced Solutions. Associate professor at the Technical University of Catalonia. Author of more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences proceedings in the field of flood risk management and urban drainage.

David Pacheco is an environmental communications specialist with an audiovisual media and corporate communications background. He has experience in managing the communication and dissemination of environmental-related initiatives, mainly focused on water resources, water quality and urban resilience. From Cetaqua’s end, David is in charge of the design, implementation and evaluation of the communication strategy of different European research projects funded under Horizon 2020 and LIFE programmes. He is currently involved in H2020-RESCCUE, where he leads the Communication and Dissemination Work Package.

Rosa has over 15 years of professional experience with local governments and international organisations, and she has led global campaigns and advocacy initiatives promoting sustainable and resilient cities all over the world. Rosa took part in the elaboration of the New Urban Agenda leading mobilization and outreach initiatives within the Habitat III Secretariat. Before joining the United Nations in 2011, she worked in the private sector and in the Barcelona City Council. As responsible for advocacy and outreach, she coordinated field projects in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, China, Kenya and Europe.