Water Summit | February 3rd 2027 in London

As industrial water usage increases, water strategy can no longer be left to governments and utility companies. Economist Enterprise’s Water Summit brings together senior leaders from across the water industry’s value chain—including industrial users, utilities, investors, technology providers and regulators—to explore resilient strategies to protect their businesses.

With a focus on managing climate risk, funding infrastructure and streamlining operations to reduce water use, this event presents a unique opportunity to collaborate with other decision-makers in the sector.

Tom Standage is deputy editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual, The World Ahead. He joined The Economist as science correspondent in 1998 and was subsequently appointed technology editor, business editor and digital editor. He is the author of seven history books, including “Writing on the Wall” (2013), “The Victorian Internet” (1998) and “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” (2005). He studied engineering and computing at Oxford University and has written for other publications including the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and Wired, taking a particular interest in technology’s cultural and historical significance.

Director general for economic policy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Spain

Javier is Director General for Economic Policy at the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, where he leads the directorate responsible for economic analysis and the coordination of the government’s economic policy, including the preparation of the government’s Delegate Committee for Economic Affairs (CDGAE). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Spain’s national promotional bank. A member of the State Corps of Trade Economists and State Economists, he holds a degree and a master’s in economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain and a master’s in competition and market regulation from the Pompeu Fabra and Autónoma de Barcelona universities. He has built his career across competition, economic regulation, and European public policy, combining the Spanish administration with international private- and public-sector experience. Abroad, he worked at the Swedish Competition Authority, the pharmaceutical group UCB and the competition consultancy RBB Economics in London and Brussels. In Spain he has served at the Analysis and Studies Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, at the Treasury, and on European affairs in the cabinet of the Minister for Economy. Most recently he was Deputy Director General for European Funds, coordinating Spain’s Recovery Plan and the Ministry’s relations with the European Commission.