Turning Wastewater Into Drinking Water: Ashish Shah on Leadership, Innovation & Reimagining Infrastructure

Host Michele Kawamoto Perry speaks with Ashish Shah, Founder and CEO of Revida Water, about reimagining one of the world’s most overlooked infrastructure challenges: industrial wastewater. Drawing on a career that spans Wall Street, private equity, operations, and consulting, Ashish shares how firsthand experience with fragmented wastewater systems inspired him to build Revida Water, a vertically integrated company transforming wastewater into reusable and even potable water through a simplified, outcome-based model. The conversation explores leadership through long-term thinking, first-principles problem solving, and building trust in industries resistant to change. Ashish also discusses Revida’s breakthrough demonstrations, including its UC Davis installation that successfully converted winery wastewater into drinking water, helping shift industry perception from skepticism to possibility. Listeners will hear how Revida’s pay-by-the-gallon, one-stop-shop approach is reducing operational friction, aligning incentives, and creating scalable solutions for a more sustainable future. Connect with Ashish Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashish-shah-66aa341/ Learn about Revida Water: https://revidawater.com/ Don't miss an episode! Be sure to click on the follow and subscribe buttons. Follow Expressions of Leadership on YouTube and Instagram @ExpressionsOfLeadership. You can also catch the show on Radio Evolve at www.radio-evolve.rocks every Saturday and Sunday at noon PT. Discover more about host Michele Kawamoto Perry and The Forward Project’s expertise in culture transformation and leadership development at www.theforwardproject.co.