Future Water Awards Evening – Outgoing Emerging Talent Group Chair Speech

Future Water – Emerging Talent Group

Chair: Caledonia Bhatia, Stantec

It has been a fantastic year as the Future Water emerging talent group (ETG) chair. We have achieved a lot this year, including:· We held 4 ETG meetings bringing together professionals from across the industry to discuss key challenges facing the sector.· Included in those meetings was the Networks November EDI conference where we had a full day collaborating and making plans in this space. We discussed diversifying routes into the sector, improving industry image, how to increase retention and created an action plan.· At our most recent meeting we provided our feedback to the water industry commission call for evidence including assessing the environment, the regulator and customer bills. This was incorporated into the wider Future Water response, ensuring our voices for change were heard.· Throughout these meetings we discussed key topics including EDI, the skills gap, education in the sector and generational differences. We have built strong connections, and we have supported initiatives which will benefit the future of the sector.For me personally, this opportunity has enabled me to grow in confidence, meet fantastic people and contribute towards positive change in the sector. A couple of my highlights include:· Presenting with Phil Barnaby at the risk register event last July discussing the importance of people and generational differences and how these can be used to benefit the sector.· Speaking on the Construction Leadership Council podcast series about inclusion and diversity and attending the UK World Water Week launch event.· Improving my public speaking skills – if you had have asked me to do this speech a year ago, it could have been a different story!A huge thank you to Hannah, Paul, Fareita, Phila and Courtney for being so supportive and enabling this opportunity for emerging talent within the industry. And a big thank you to Stantec for supporting me in this role. I wish the next Future Water Emerging Talent Group chair the best of luck and I can’t wait to see what the group does next!