Meet our Team
Our team at Ewaters is dedicated to building thriving communities and resilient infrastructure
Weijun Zhang
Director
Weijun has over 30 years of experience in water resources and environmental engineering. He holds advanced degrees from Hohai University and previously served as China General Manager at Wallingford Software and Modeling Team Leader at URS. He led urban flood resilience strategies for the Asian Development Bank. Weijun's expertise fosters innovative solutions in sustainable water management and disaster risk reduction.
Jorge Astudillo
Technical Director
Jorge is a Principal Hydraulic Engineer with over 20 years of experience in hydrological and hydraulic analysis, numerical modeling, and design across Chile, China, and New Zealand. A Civil Engineering graduate from the University of Chile with a major in Hydraulics, Sanitary, and Environmental Engineering, he has specialized in river systems, hydraulic works, sediment transport, hydrodynamics, and hydraulic design.
Xiaoxuan Zhao
Hydraulics Engineer
Xiao is a Hydraulic Engineer with over 4-years of experience in hydrological and hydraulic modelling and analysis across China and New Zealand. Experience in flood risk analysis specifically include generating overland flow path, flood mapping, evaluating flood mitigation options, assess the impact of urban land use change and climate change on regional flood risk. Also experienced in urban stormwater infrastructures capacity/design evaluation, evaluating LID impacts on urban flood mitigation. Transdisciplinary education in Civil Engineering (BEng) and International Land and Water Management (MSc). The bachelor was specialized in Water Supply and Drainage, and the Master was specialized in Integrated Water Management.
Felix Pertziger
Principal GIS Analyst & Hydrologist
Felix is a Principal GIS Analyst and Hydrologist at Ewaters New Zealand, where he has worked since 2017. With an extensive background in hydrology and GIS, he has contributed to numerous water-related projects across New Zealand. Felix holds a PhD in geography, specializing in hydrology and water resources, and has published multiple papers, including three monographs on glaciology and land hydrology. His work has been published in both Russian and English.
His career began in 1976 at the Glaciology Department of the Central Asian Hydrometeorological Institute in Uzbekistan, followed by 13 years with URS New Zealand. Outside of his scientific career, Felix was active in the USSR alpine search and rescue squad, earning his qualification in 1979. He was later awarded the prestigious USSR Master of Sport title in alpinism in 1985.
Priyanka Uppal
Operations and Marketing Manager
Priyanka brings over 15 years’ experience in project controls and contract administration, gained with internationally recognised engineering firms. She specialises in optimising systems, managing contracts, and supporting project delivery with efficiency and compliance.
Her expertise spans bid preparation, contract negotiation, and full project lifecycle management, ensuring projects are delivered with precision and accountability.
In addition to operations, she leads marketing and business development, positioning the consultancy’s water resources engineering expertise with councils, government agencies, and industry partners. Drawing on international best practice, she integrates operational discipline with strategic marketing to strengthen our profile and support delivery of resilient, sustainable water management solutions.