The Stockholm International Water Institute, SIWI, is an independent, not-for-profit foundation, which seeks to strengthen the governance of fresh water globally, regionally, nationally, and locally.

SIWI operates globally in various water-related areas. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. The organization is led by an Executive Director who reports to the board. The organization’s departments are each headed by a director, and collectively, they comprise the Senior Management Team.

Meet SIWI

Learn more about us

Our team

The Board

Senior Management Team

The Senior Management Team (SMT) consist of directors for all departments and central functions, under the leadership of the Executive Director.

Executive Director

Daily operations at SIWI are led by the Executive Director, who reports to the Board.

Helena Thybell
no caption
Helena Thybell
Executive Director

Helena Thybell is SIWI's Executive Director

Staff

SIWI staff members come from more than 15 countries, with a wide diversity of backgrounds. Each of us provides deep expertise on water management, environmental science, strategy or technical support.

Meet our team

Our Departments

SIWI’s departments offer broad expertise in areas such as water governance, sanitation, resilience, international policy, and transboundary water cooperation. Many projects are carried out jointly by members from different parts of SIWI.

Departments
Rendered out-of-focus points of light, reflecting off the surface of the ocean.
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Finance and Administration

Our finance and legal team is an essential part of SIWI, providing support to all other departments and to our organization as a whole.
School children washing hands.
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Water and Sanitation

As of 1 May 2025, the Wash department has been transferred to IVL. The team and their work remain largely the same, as they provide expertise and develop tools to secure good water management and universal access to water and sanitation.
Aerial view of a meandering river between green fields and forests.
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Water Cooperation and Diplomacy

The Water Cooperation and Diplomacy department provides advice, develops tools and methodologies, and conducts studies, trainings, and workshops on water governance issues.

The Triple Frontera / Tríplice Fronteira, where the three borders of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil converge, separated by the Iguazú and Paraná Rivers.
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Transboundary Water Cooperation

The Transboundary Water Cooperation team consists of experts in environmental peacebuilding, water diplomacy and cooperative resource management.
Participants interacting with each other in the King's garden at World Water Week 2019
no caption
DEPARTMENT

World Water Week

World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues. It is a non-profit event, co-created together with major organizations, where participants from more than 130 countries and with many different backgrounds, get to share knowledge and experience.
Aerial view of Swedish forest and lake.
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Swedish Water House

Swedish Water House connects Swedish and international water stakeholders from different sectors to facilitate learning and collaboration.

Blurry image of people sitting in a conference room
no caption
DEPARTMENT

Office Management

Office Management team ensures everything runs smoothly so our mission can move forward

Organization

VisionStrategyHistoryOrganizationPartnersCareersNewslettersPress and mediaContact Us