Alberto Marulanda graduated from the University of Los Andes, in Bogota, Colombia, as a civil engineer and received his MS from the University of Illinois in 1972. Since 1972 he has worked at INGETEC, a consulting engineering firm, where he is currently president. Marulanda has led the design of hydropower, water supply and infrastructure projects throughout Latin America and other regions of the world. He was honored both in 2011 and 2015 with the National Engineering Award from the Colombian Society of Engineers.

As an independent consultant, Marulanda has been on the panel of experts for several major hydroelectric, dam and tunnel projects around the world including Hydro-Quebec and James Bay Co. Canada (the world's largest hydroelectricity producer company), and the Guri, Tocoma and Caruachi projects in Venezuela, one of the largest hydroelectric complexes in the world.

Marulanda has also worked as an adviser to the Government of Turkey and as technical advisor for Sanko Energy Company. He is author of more than 50 technical papers in international conferences and journals.

He has served as chairman of the technical committee of materials for the International Commission on Large Dams, president of Colombian Consulting Engineers Association, president of the Colombian Association of Seismic Engineering and vice president of the International Commission on Large Dams.

In 2009, he was highlighted by the Water Power and Dam Construction journal in London as one of the "60 most influential people in the 100 year history of hydroelectricity in the world."

Lelio Mejia is a Senior Principal Engineer based in California with more than 35 years of experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering. For many years, he has focused on | the challenges of dam and levee engineering and is a leading international authority in this field, with emphasis on the seismic design and performance of dam structures. Lelio leads Geosyntec's Western U.S. dams and levees practice and is a registered civil and geotechnical engineer.

Lelio has directed the investigation and seismic stability evaluation of more than 25 large earth dams, and has been involved in the design and construction of more than 15 major dam projects worldwide. He has also served on technical review boards and expert panels for U.S. Federal and State Agencies, water and power utilities, and other owners on various dam projects.

He has led the design and helped owners manage the construction of several dam projects, including projects with more than $300 million in construction costs. In the U.S., he has successfully led many projects through the approval process of regulatory agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD). Most recently, he was project manager and chief engineer for the design and construction inspection of a large embankment dam that is part of the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal.

Throughout his career, Lelio has endeavored to advance the state of practice. He has conducted research on the use of three-dimensional and nonlinear models for the dynamic response analysis of dams and on liquefaction failure during earthquakes, and he has authored over 90 peer-reviewed technical papers. He developed earthquake loading criteria referenced by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) for the seismic design of dams worldwide.

Lelio currently serves as Chair of the United States Society on Dams (USSD) Earthquakes Committee; as a Member of the ICOLD Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design; and as a Member of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee for the State of the Art and Practice in Earthquake Induced Soil Liquefaction Assessment. Until recently, he was a Secretarial Appointee to the Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities, and Chair of the Governance Board of the National Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). He has also been a Lecturer of Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering at the University of California at Davis and an Extension Instructor in Geotechnical| Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He was a member of the editorial board for the American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Dr Sulojana Shanmuganathan is recognised as a Distinguished Fellow for her contribution to furthering engineering practice, particularly in structures and large complex engineering projects in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Sulo’s academic life began with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka in 1987, followed by a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of Dundee in Scotland in 1990, completing a PhD in Structural Engineering at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom in 1995. The global theme continues in her professional life with over 30 years’ experience in significant executive, technical and governance roles with major consulting companies in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, including Beca and WSP, as well as eight years in research and academia.

In her current role as Chief Engineer with Waka Kotahi, Sulo applies her deep technical knowledge, governance and project experience to challenge current practice in the Transport Sector. She is a leader in the industry towards a sustainability rethink with renewed interest in the use of timber in bridge construction, and pushing beyond just rebuilding post weather events to how we can rebuild more efficiently, saving both cost and time. In this role Sulo exhibits her personal commitment to the evolution of our community as she navigates and leads the industry through some of the greatest challenges in the transport sector.

Sulo is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), IStructE UK, and a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. She has authored over 30 technical papers, contributed to numerous technical manuals, and is frequently an invited speaker at international conferences. She has received many awards and scholarships for structural, seismic and rehabilitation projects.

In Sulo’s own words “since becoming a fellow, it’s been my time to contribute” which has manifested in her involvement with Engineering New Zealand, serving on the Competency Assessment Board, representing Engineering New Zealand on the International Review Team for the APEC Engineer Agreement with the Council of Engineers of Thailand, advising and assessing various complaints, reviewing Terms of Reference and application processes for Fellow and Distinguished Fellow, serving as a Quake CoRE Board Member, and continuing to be an active participant in the Diversity Agenda and with Women in Engineering. She continues to be active globally as Associate Editor of “Civil Engineering”, the ICE journal and co-chair of their special issue on COVID, she is on the judging panel for IStructE annual people and papers award, and as invited keynote speaker in India and the UK.

Sulo is described as someone who is unassuming and humble but clear on boundaries. This strong moral and ethical compass coupled with her deep technical prowess has built her reputation within the industry as a role model in design and construction. She actively mentors and grows engineers, supporting them in their careers across all disciplines. She has tackled highly sensitive and challenging situations through her ability to open up the conversation and bring people together to tackle hard issues constructively.

For her achievements and significant contribution, Sulo is awarded Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand.