Marlies Michielssen

Marlies Michielssen works on Amazon’s goals to be water positive in its data centers by 2030 and return more water than used in India across all company operations by 2027. She partners with nonprofits, startups and utilities on replenishment projects involving wetland restoration, groundwater recharge and leak detection to improve water availability and quality in communities where Amazon operates.

Michielssen has developed water replenishment projects to restore hundreds of millions of liters annually in water-stressed regions. For example, in India, she led lake rejuvenation efforts in Hyderabad and Bengaluru with non-governmental organization SayTrees, restoring 571 million liters per year and boosting local community resilience to floods and droughts. She also tracks Amazon’s global water footprint and develops forecasts to guide infrastructure and replenishment investments. By the end of 2024, Amazon Web Services had reached 53 percent of its 2030 water positive goal.

Prior to joining Amazon, Michielssen contributed to research on microplastic removal, developed a predictive tool for sewer overflows and earned recognition in the World Bank’s Water Utility of the Future Contest. She holds master’s and undergraduate degrees in management science and engineering.