Ruth Beukman is a leading water professional, with 27 years of experience in the fields of land and water management and development. She joined WWF in 2021.
 
In her current position, she plays a dual role: leading the WWF freshwater team (which focuses on securing South Africa’s strategic water source areas and associated ecological infrastructure) and providing strategic guidance on cross-cutting policy issues given the centrality of water in the country’s development priorities.

Ruth has a long association with the Global Water Partnership (GWP), where she was responsible for strategic positioning and responsive programme development on integrated water resources management. In this role she developed pivotal partnerships with key mandated institutions at multiple levels and facilitated the establishment of multi-stakeholder platforms.
 
She has an MSc in botany/plant ecology from the University of Cape Town. While her early career focused on natural resource management, rural development, and land reform, she has dedicated the last 20 years to the central role of water in tackling development challenges in South Africa and the southern African region.