TURNING THE TIDE

Ahmed AI Shamsi, Managing Director and CEO of SWS Holding, is making moves to tackle the challenges of water scarcity while growing business. With the company having recently been acquired for $463.2 million, the CEO has his eyes on further investment.

- JAMILA GANDHI

Although water covers roughly 70% of our planet, a growing global population and changes in weather are stressing our water systems and endangering our ecosystems. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the magnitude of the worldwide water crisis looms large and could cost an estimated $58 trillion annually in economic value, food security, and sustainability. In response, industry leaders are recognizing the problem and looking for solutions. “Water, now more precious than oil, is a global concern due to issues of scarcity,” emphasizes Ahmed Al Shamsi, Managing Director and CEO of the AbuDhabi-based Sustainable Water Solutions Holding Company (SWS Holding).

With the global water and wastewater treatment market size poised to reach $572.2 billion by 2032, according to forecasts by Precedence Research, water companies play a critical role in pioneering sustainable solutions to invest in circularity. UNICEF data reveals that 11 out of the world’s 17 most water-stressed countries are located in MENA. By 2030, there could be less than 500 cubic meters of water per person in MENA per year, a critical scarcity level that worsens with population growth, according to the World Bank. Despite having joined the water industry only two years ago, Al Shamsi is acutely aware of the urgency and vast scale of the challenge. “The absence of clean, fresh water, coupled with inadequate provisions for safe water disposal and treatment, exposes individuals to numerous diseases,” he says. “It’s challenging to comprehend the plight of those forced to work with unhygienic water. This disparity in access to water underscores the significance of our mission.”