Water Sector Capital Investment & Development Conference; Sponsored By Costain

Northumbria Water Group – Clive Surman-Wells, Innovation Partnerships Manager

Clive joins us to share insight into NWG’s pioneering national underground assets register (NUAR) innovation project. The project has been developed in conjunction with the Government’s Geospatial Commission with the aim of building a secure and trusted digital sharing platform for all the pipes and cables under the ground. The estimated economic cost of accidental strikes on underground pipes and cables is £1.2bn a year and workers are often put at risk of serious injury. The NWG NUAR project is one of two pilots with the other being delivered by the GLA.

British Water – Lila Thompson, Chief Executive

British Water represents the interests of UK water and wastewater supply chain companies together with wider stakeholders across the sector, through UK, Technical and International forums, connecting them to contacts to raise their profile, grow their business and promote best practice. British Water provides leadership, support and best practice and addresses the challenges faced by the UK water sector.

Drinking Water Inspectorate – Marcus Rink, Chief Inspector

Safe, clean drinking water is vital to public health and the wellbeing of our society. The Drinking Water Inspectorate was formed in 1990 to provide independent reassurance that England and Wales’s water supply is safe and drinking water quality. They operate within DEFRA and their inspectors independently check and audit water companies. The Chief Inspector is appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and acts independently on their behalf.

Water Industry Commission Scotland – Michelle Ashford, Chief Operating Officer

The Scottish water and sewerage sector is a £1.2bn industry that improves infrastructure, creates jobs and supports livelihoods across Scotland. Water Industry Commission Scotland acts as the economic regulator of Scottish Water, ensuring that Scottish Water has the funding it needs to deliver high-quality services. WICS also plays a key role in the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation initiative that develops international partnerships, sharing knowledge and undertaking join research.

Costain – Sam White, Managing Director – Natural Resources Division

Sam White joined the Exec board of Costain in January 2022 as the managing director of the natural resources division.

He has a strong track record in developing strategic client relationships and delivering enhanced business performance and growth, gained through a variety of challenging multi-sector roles in multi-national organisations. Sam joined Costain from Babcock International Group where he held various leadership roles across defence, energy and engineering services. Prior to this he held roles with BAE systems and General Dynamics. Sam is an executive coach and is a passionate advocate of inclusion and diversity.

Northumbrian Water Group – Dr Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation

Northumbria Water Group are one of the UK’s leading water suppliers, providing water and sewage services to over 3.5 million people across the UK. Last year, as a part of AMP7, Northumbria Water selected partners for a four-year framework contract worth up to £150m for construction and engineering works on its water and wastewater assets. The water group also announced their plans for a new £105m Tees Pipeline late last year, that when completed, will span 54km. NWG are also taking part in a multi-million pound project in Northumberland that will improve the ecological condition of more than 49,000 hectacres of habitat and water quality for the species that depend on them. Dr Angela MacOscar is Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water, managing the innovation pipeline for the organisation.

Costain – Jeremy Galpin, Lead Consultant for Social Value

Jeremy leads our social value approach and believes the reason we deliver infrastructure projects is to make a positive change to people’s lives. Focusing on social value brings a positive impact on the wellbeing of society.

Jeremy has worked for Costain for 32 years in a career spanning multiple sectors and major complex projects including the second Severn Crossing and Thames Tideway. He now leads Costain’s Social Value consultancy. With social value becoming an increasing focus for UK government policy, Costain’s experience in maximising social value, combined with research led best practice, is underpinned by innovative digital technology, enabling systemised tracking and data management of social value, and supporting clients in creating and managing the maximisation of social value.

Built Environment Networking – Fahmida Nisa, Host & Event Manager

Nisa is a research, marketing and content specialist at Built Environment Networking. She will be hosting a number of the sessions throughout the day, running the day’s proceedings and managing the interaction between our virtual delegates and the speakers.

Wessex Water – John Thompson, Executive Director – Engineering and Sustainability

Wessex Water supply water to over 2.8 million customers across the South West. John joins us to share insight into their 5 year £1.4bn capital investment programme, that aims to improve the ecology of the local rivers, alongside the improvement of waste treatment and network capacity to meet the demand for new housing in the region.

United Utilities – Luke McLaughlin, Systems Thinking Strategy Manager

United Utilities provides water and wastewater services to around seven million people across the North West of England, suppling three million households and 200,000 business premises. The company has recently completed the rebuild of a Lancashire-based wastewater plant, valued at £164m, and last year announced it would invest £64m to increase sewer capacity as a part of AMP7.