Working Groups – Transforming the Sector
Future Water Association has a vision centred on ‘Shaping the Future of the Water Sector’ – therefore the organisation brings together experts to look at issues facing the sector. Following the publication of the Future Water Report Card – the focus has coalesced around the ‘Transformation of the Water Sector’ agenda built around the following several core groups:
Future Water – Standards & Regulations Group
Chair: Dr David Smoker, ACO Water Management
Product and system standards are often seen as boring, too technical, stifling innovation and reducing things down to the lowest common denominator. Conforming to standards can be seen as costly.
On the other hand, standards provide a level playing field within an industry, ensuring a level of quality and compatibility between different suppliers. Your compliance with a product standard can offer a powerful marketing message. Standards ensure that your supply chain is supplying products and services that are consistent with your requirements. Good standards, in fact, save money and encourage innovation.
How do you keep up with it all and how can you have an input into standards that may affect your business?
The Future Water Standards and Regulations Group has been set up to
• be the focus of Future Water’s input to water sector standards and regulations of concern;
• be the route for members to participate in standards, representing Future Water;
• work with other organisations and external stakeholders to influence standards and regulations for the benefit of the sector;
• share updates on standards, regulations and industry guidance that affect members;
• develop and mentor members new to standards.
Read the latest Standards & Regulations Update
Do you or someone in your organisation want to get involved? Contact us standards@futurewaterassociation.com
Next meeting: 19th June Standards and Regulations Group Meeting – Future Water Association
Future Water – Innovation & IP Group
Chair: Alastair Moseley, H2O WEM
Future Waters –Innovation & IP is focused on driving new thinking into the water sector, challenge existing approaches.
Objectives include:
- Reporting on Innovation through the ‘IP’ lens vs other sectors and other countries
- Being a Focal point for challenging existing thinking in the water sector.
- Development and delivery of the Trademarked Water Dragons.
- Driving Skills for the Future through the development of Young Water Dragons.
- Acting as an Enabler of change
Read the Blog Innovation & IP
Future Water – Networks November Group
- Presenting future visions for managing water and wastewater systems.
- Sharing knowledge and technology solutions.
- Identifying the benefits of optimal network management, including operations, service to customers, health & sanitation and the environment.
- Showcasing the ideas, technologies and innovative solutions.
- Engaging with other organisations, regulators, professional bodies and water utilities to develop forward thinking on network systems.
- Producing and updating the Future Water sector ‘scorecard’
SPONSORED BY:
Next Meeting: TBC May
Future Water – Emerging Talent Group
The core objective is to focus on Future Water’s Emerging Talent award, using it as a platform, to showcase the best new people in the sector, creating space for the new voices/ideas to be heard; further encouraging attraction/retention of talent into the sector. The group has defined its role in the sector and set out a number of actions.
The aim is bring the voice of the Emerging Talent Group and the people new to sector, together to give them a voice and a place to share ideas.
The group has representation from water companies, consultants, contractors and if you new to the sector and want to part of the group and help to create a representative voice.
Next meeting: 23rd May emerging-talent-group-meeting
Future Water Leakage ‘Suppliers’ Group
Chair: James Hargrave, Anglian Water
The Leakage ‘Suppliers Group’ is a new initiative that has developed out of Future Water Networks ‘Pipes & Sewers Report Card’ as a recommendation.
The challenge being addressed is to create place where water company network managers and operators, and the supply chain, can share knowledge and/or collaborate on innovations and emerging products and services aimed at specific areas (such as managing leakage, meeting leakage targets, making networks smarter) for mutual benefit.
- Bring suppliers together to focus on meeting the leakage challenges, current & future. Drive innovation among suppliers in the leakage space.
- Share updates on current challenges that members are working on. Identify the standards and regulations that are challenging for the sector.
- Showcase or highlight where interventions are effective in tackling leakage – bringing a focus to detection.
- Support the 2050 Routemap and development of the National Leakage Test Centre.
- Engage with other organisations, regulators, professional bodies and water utilities to develop forward thinking around leakage.
- Facilitate the exchange of information between the supplier and customer.
- Support the development of training initiatives to underpin detection.
Next meeting: TBC September leakage-suppliers-working-group-meeting
Future Water – IT-OT, Security, Data & Resilience Group
Chair: Gordon Robinson, Shernalbrookhouse
This group has developed from the Cyber Awareness Training that Future Water has
been delivering across the water sector.
The group aims are, to:
- Bring suppliers together to focus on meeting the IT-OT Cyber Security challenges related to cyber security, current & future. Within the context of Protective Management Security Systems.
- Explore how data is being collected and used to support resilience.
- Share updates on current challenges around NIS1 and NIS2
- Identify the Security standards and regulations that are impacting on the sector in this space.
- Showcase or highlight where interventions are required.
- Support the drive to bring consistency to NIS implementation across the water sector.
- Engage with other organisations, regulators, professional bodies, and water utilities to develop forward thinking around data and resilience.
- Facilitate the exchange of information across the sector and stakeholders
- Support the development of training initiatives to underpin cyber and resilience awareness
Next meeting: TBC September it-ot-cyber-resiliency-group-meeting
Sponsored by
Future Water Reputation Group
Chair: TBC
Purpose: An internal steering group which provides a forum to discuss best practice and insights on reputation management, stakeholder, customer, political and media engagement across the water sector
Role of group
- To ensure best practice in communicating the benefits/positives of the water sector in a way which best serves the water sector
- To influence how the water sector is perceived by wider stakeholders; making it a part of industrial narrative in the UK
- To contribute insight and thinking to help shape content to progress the sector’s reputation
- To produce a narrative that reflects views of the supply chain
Activity
- Sharing updates on current challenges that members are working on; showcasing successes and lessons
- Engaging with external organisations, regulators, professional bodies and water utilities to develop thinking and learn lessons from broader industry
Get involved!
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