Ruth Mathews is a global leader in innovation to address the unsustainable use of water. Most recently she was executive director of Water Footprint Network where she led a vibrant community of private, public, NGO, and academic partners in applying the latest research to reveal new ways to address critical sustainability challenges. She led conservation efforts for WWF in Vietnam and has negotiated legal agreements for protecting valuable ecosystems and rare and endangered species across the United States. As program manager at Stockholm International Water Institute and coordinator for the Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management, she is engaging international organizations and the private sector in improving water governance from source-to-sea. Having lived and worked around the world, she has a deep appreciation of the central importance of water to all aspects of life—our economies, communities, our health and the planet.