Why attend the Utility Leaders Forum?
Utilities have the critical and ultimate responsibility to provide the infrastructure, systems, and governance to effectively manage water for the public. With growing populations, ageing infrastructure, and changing climate, challenges over the past decade have increased significantly. Many utilities across the world have become very creative and innovative to implement novel and game-changing solutions to these challenges. Their invaluable insights and knowledge are seldom shared on a global platform, and utilities rarely come together to discuss how to go forward towards solutions. To that end, the Utility Leaders Forum (ULF) will be a central feature during the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition.
Joining the utilities programme in Copenhagen will create an extraordinary platform for discussion of the global and local challenges utilities experience in a changing environment and society. You can network with colleagues at your specific level in the organisation (CEO, operations, financial management, engineering, etc) and create valuable relationships for future cooperation. Outcomes of discussions will be taken forward and brought into relevant IWA forums and activities and to the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Toronto in 2024.
At the end of day one, utility leaders will be invited to attend a networking reception at the facility of HOFOR-The Utility of Greater Copenhagen, hosted by 3VAND utilities. On day two, a boat trip exclusively for utility leaders will take attendees from the forum on a tour on the canals of Copenhagen, demonstrating climate solutions and extending networking opportunities from two days of discussions.
Programme Topics
Based on a strong consensus from the water utility sector, the sessions will focus on four areas:
– Water Utilities as Community Leaders – Creating Integrated Water Management for Cities of the Future: Utilities must sustainably manage the integrated water cycle to ensure a reliable, high quality water supply and a resilient climate and crisis response capability. Additionally, the role of leading water utilities has evolved to becoming a ‘leader in the community’, investing locally as a job creator, and seeking public engagement into major infrastructure investments. How successful is this integrated approach? And how is it being done?
– Accelerating Adoption of Innovation: Utilities face many challenges, with increasing demands in terms of population, climate goals, and water scarcity. With these challenges, utilities have found powerful ways to adopt innovation and technology. How can adoption of critical and needed solutions be accelerated?
– Evolving with Climate Change: Mitigating against water scarcity, adapting to extreme weather events or more effectively utilising digitalisation and data, we focus on how utilities are adapting to the inevitable by building resilience in line with societal expectations.
– The Digital Utility: There are numerous ways in which data can be used to improve and optimise all aspects of a utility’s operations. The Digital Utility unlocks an exciting new world of providing better outcomes for customers: better ways to communicate and engage, opportunities to reduce costs and risks, detection of operational issues before they occur, the list goes on. So many decisions, so much innovation – when and how should you dive in?
For questions concerning registration, please email: william.cappuyns@iwahq.org
For questions concerning content, email Helle Katrine Andersen: hka@danva.dk
Organised by:
Get involved
*An IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2022 registration is compulsory for Forum attendees.
Helle Katrine Andersen
COO DANVA (Danish Water and Waste Water Association)
Utility Leaders Forum is targeted to CEOs and leaders of utilities. The forum will be open to a number of stakeholders.
Agenda
TUESDAY 13 SEP 2022 | WEDNESDAY 14 SEP 2022 | ||
10:30 - 10:45 | Opening of Utility Leaders Forum | 10:30 - 12:00 | SESSION 4 – Living in the Digital World |
· Tom Mollenkopf, IWA President · Carl-Emil Larsen, CEO DANVA (Danish Water and Wastewater Association) | Setting the stage: Shane Morgan COO Urban Utilities, Brisbane, Australia Igniting talks · Peter Simpson, CEO Anglian Water · Maree Lang, MD, Greater Western Water, Australia · Riksta Zwart, MD, Waterbedrijf Groningen, NL · Kishia Powell, COO, DC Water, USA Roundtables and panel discussion facilitated by Adam Lovell, CEO Water Services Association of Australia | ||
10:45 - 12:00 | SESSION 1 - Water Utilities as Community Leaders - Creating Integrated Water Management for Cities of the Future | 13:30 - 14:45 | SESSION 5 – Celebrating 2022 Climate Smart Utilities - Successes from Around the Globe and Recognition Event |
Setting the stage: Hamanth Kasan, IWA Vice President Igniting talks: · Diane Taniguchi-Dennis, CEO, Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA · Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha, MD National Water & Sewerage Corporation, Uganda · William Fernandes, Director, Toronto Water, Canada · Claudia Castell-Exner, President EurEau, Brussels, Belgium Panel discussion facilitated by Ed McCormick, Chair of IWA SC Utility Engagement Group | Opening of recognition event: Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director IWA Climate-Smart Stories · Case 1 · Case 2 Poster pitches of Climate-Smart stories Facilitated by Corinne Tromsdorff, Water Cities and Carlos Diaz, IWA | ||
13:30 - 15:00 | SESSION 2 - Accelerating Adoption of Innovation | 14:45 - 15:00 | Closing of forum and messages for next Utility Leaders Forums |
Setting the stage: Jonathan Clement, CTO Rambøll Igniting talks: · Claus Homann, CSO/COO, Aarhus Water, Denmark · Chris Rockey, Director South West Water, USA · Bernard Koh, Assistant CE, PUB Singapore · Rik Thijssen, Director Vitens Water, NL Roundtables and panel discussion facilitated by Helle Katrine Andersen, COO DANVA | Towards Singapore Water Week 2024 and IWA WWCE Toronto 2024 · CEO PUB Singapore (tbc) · Robert Haller, CEO Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, Canada Closing by Tom Mollenkopf, IWA President and Helle Katrine Andersen, COO DANVA | ||
15:45 - 17:15 | SESSION 3 - Evolving with Climate Change | 15:45 - 18:00 | Boat trip of the canals of Copenhagen and utility leaders networking - Demonstration of climate solutions |
Setting the stage: Shaunna Berendsen, Head of Innovation Engagement, Anglian Water Igniting talks: · Simon Parsons, Director, Scottish Water, UK · Pat McCafferty, MD Yarra Valley Water, Australia · Dan Naidoo, Regional Manager of Umgeni Waterboard, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa and chairman of WISA Water Institute of Southern Africa, South Africa · Brian Hansen, Head of Planning, Utility of Greater Copenhagen, Denmark · Matt Collings, Assistant GM, Moulton Niguel Water District, California, USA · Gari Villa-Landa Sokolova, Head of International Affairs, AEAS, Spain · Roundtables and panel discussion facilitated by Miriam Feilberg, Head of Climate, DANVA | Pick up by bus at the Bella Center. Sightseeing on the canals of Copenhagen and demonstration of Climate Solutions. Drop off at the Harbour Bath for social event and swim. Walking distance to Cultural Night Tivoli or possibility for return to Bella Center. Planned and facilitated by Brian Hansen, Head of planning, Utility of Greater Copenhagen. | ||
18:00 - 20:00 | SOCIAL EVENING EVENT - Utility Leaders reception hosted by 3VAND utilities at Utility of Greater Copenhagen | ||
Organising Committee
Helle Katrine Andersen – COO DANVA (Danish Water and Wastewater Association), Chair
Jonathan Clement – IWA LET Chair, Co-Chair
Tom Mollenkopf – IWA President
Adam Lovell – Executive Director, Water Services Association of Australia
Shaunna Berendsen – Head of Innovation Engagement, Anglian Water
Ed McCormick – Chair of IWA Strategic Council Utility Engagement Workgroup
Brian Hansen – Head of Planning, Greater Copenhagen Utility HOFOR
Miriam Feilberge – Climate Manager, DANVA (Danish Water and Wastewater Association)
Carlos Diaz – IWA Secretariat
William Cappuyns – IWA Secretariat