Lead2030 Showcase: Catalysing Youth-led WASH Enterprises for SDG6
Spotlighting Reckitt's SDG6 Lead2030 winners, this session will explore social entrepreneurship, technology and innovation in driving access to clean water and sanitation.
Speakers
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Divanshu KumarCo-founder and CEODivanshu Kumar
Co-founder and CEO
Solinas IntegrityDivanshu Kumar grew up in Gaya, a city which, like many others in India, also faced the problem of intermittent water supply. This challenge inspired him to take it up as a personal mission to use advanced robotics and AI for solving deep-rooted problems in the water landscape. After completing his studies in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design, he began his journey with Solinas. Since 2018, Divanshu and his team have grown Solinas into a Make in India Robotics and AI company dedicated to addressing the critical issue of non-revenue water. The company has worked with more than 25 cities, impacting 17 million citizens by improving their water supply, reducing drinking water contamination, preventing sewer overflows, and supporting flood-prevention plans. In one city, Solinas helped reduce water loss by 40 million liters per day, while in another, the company enabled 1,100 households to gain access to water after 20 months. Through its software, Swasth AI, Solinas digitises entire underground pipeline networks—whether water, sewer, or drainage—and supports cities in making data-driven decisions while predicting future problems. Another major focus of Divanshu’s work is eradicating manual scavenging in India. To address this, he and his team built HomoSEP, a robotic intervention designed to eliminate human involvement in septic tank and manhole cleaning. By 2029, Divanshu envisions scaling Solinas to 100 more Indian cities and five countries, driving efficient operations and maintenance in water management to transform the lives of more than 25 million people. His mission is to reduce water leakage and contamination by 20% in targeted Indian cities and to bring an end to manual scavenging.
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Philipp KuestSocial Impact ManagerPhilipp Kuest
Social Impact Manager
ReckittPhilipp Küst serves as Social Impact Manager at Reckitt, a global health and hygiene company known for power brands such as Dettol, Lysol, and Harpic. In this role, he leads Reckitt’s global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) impact portfolio, overseeing the strategy and delivery of programs that expand access to clean water and sanitation while driving hygiene behavior change across 34 countries. Aligned with Reckitt’s catalytic impact strategy, Philipp champions social entrepreneurship and innovative finance to scale transformative WASH solutions. He leads Reckitt’s flagship partnership with Water.org, leveraging microfinance and impact investments to create lasting impact. He also oversees Reckitt’s social impact measurement and evaluation strategy, including the publication of the company’s annual Social Impact Report. Since joining Reckitt in 2019, Philipp has held diverse roles spanning Sales, eCommerce, Marketing, and Social Impact, bringing a strong cross-functional perspective to his work. As a One Young World Ambassador, he is a firm believer in the power of intrapreneurship to drive meaningful change from within organizations and has several years of experience leading initiatives at the grassroots level.
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Nida Yousaf SheikhCo-Founder & CEONida Yousaf Sheikh
Co-Founder & CEO
TayabaNida Yousaf Sheikh is a Pakistani social innovator, climate advocate, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Tayaba, a social enterprise working to transform water accessibility, sanitation, and climate resilience for underserved communities across Pakistan. With an MSc in Economic Psychology (Distinction) from the London School of Economics and a deep sense of justice shaped by her lived experiences, Nida has dedicated her career to addressing one of today’s most urgent challenges: water scarcity. As CEO of Tayaba, Nida led the development of the H2O (Help-2-Others) Solutions — an ecosystem of innovative, cost-effective tools designed to improve water access, sanitation, and hygiene. Her flagship innovation, the H2O Wheel, is a 40-liter rolling container that drastically reduces the time and physical strain of water collection. Since 2019, under Nida’s leadership, Tayaba has expanded its solutions to include: H2O Solar: Renewable-energy-powered water facilities for off-grid communities, H2O Air: Pakistan’s first air-to-water generator that extracts humidity to produce safe drinking water, and H2O Hygiene Kit, which includes biodegradable, reusable menstrual hygiene products, empowering women with dignity and health. Beyond leading Tayaba, Nida actively amplifies the voices of young changemakers, especially women, in global conversations on sustainability and climate action. She has spoken on prominent international platforms, including as a plenary speaker at the One Young World Summit, where she also led a dedicated “Water and Climate” session for emerging youth leaders. In Pakistan, she served as a keynote panelist during Pakistan Water Week 2024, contributing to critical national conversations on water security. Nida has also represented Tayaba at COP28 in the UAE and COP29 in Baku, both in person and virtually, using these global stages to spotlight Pakistan’s climate vulnerability and advocate for inclusive, youth-led, community-driven climate solutions.
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Yvette IshimweFounder & CEOYvette Ishimwe
Founder & CEO
IRIBA Water GroupYvette Ishimwe is a social entrepreneur from Rwanda and the Founder & CEO of IRIBA Water Group, a social enterprise delivering climate-smart water solutions across Africa. Her journey into impact work began at age 19, when she launched IRIBA to address the urgent need for safe drinking water in underserved communities. Since then, the organization has reached more than 500,000 people through state-of-the-art filtration technologies, smart water ATMs, and community-led WASH education programs. Under her leadership, IRIBA has pioneered Tap&Drink, a tech-enabled water ATM solution that reduces reliance on firewood and plastic bottles, generates carbon credits, and creates green jobs for youth and women. Yvette is deeply committed to building scalable, locally led solutions that merge climate action, public health, and economic empowerment. She has been recognized as a Queen’s Young Leader, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Africa honoree, and the 2025 Cartier Women’s Initiative Impact Award winner. At the Summit, she looks forward to connecting with fellow changemakers and exploring opportunities to scale impact collaboratively.