27 November 2018

8:45 am

Registration, refreshments & exhibition

9:15 am

Welcome and introduction from conference chair

Speaker

Piers Clark
Founder and chairman - Isle Utilities

WHAT DOES INNOVATION LOOK LIKE IN 2018?

9:20 am

What impact will PR19 have on investment decisions?

Making Investment decision in PR19
Introducing new technologies into business-as-usual
Planning for long-term innovations

Speaker

Sarah McMath
Managing director, strategic planning & investment - Thames Water

9:40 am

The key challenges and opportunities for innovation

Shaping the innovation agenda
Bringing our operational assets into real time
A collaborative approach to innovation

Speaker

Steve Kaye
Head of innovation - Anglian Water

10:00 am

Building an innovation culture: systems, processes and people

Creating cultures and environments that allow change to take hold and work in practice
Encouraging and fostering both top-down and bottom-up innovation
How innovations are managed and tracked, and some of the problems encountered

Speaker

Jeremy Heath
Innovation manager - Sutton and East Surrey Water

10:20 am

Snap poll, questions and answers

10:30 am

Refreshments, networking & exhibition

INNOVATION IN PRACTICE

11:00 am

Ofwat and the deployment and development of technology

Speaker

John Russell
Senior director, strategy and planning - Ofwat

11:20 am

Collaboration case study

Speakers

Dr James Chong
Senior lecturer, Department of Biology - University of York
Jon Brigg
Manager of innovation - Yorkshire Water

11:40 am

Unlocking the potential of digital to transform the customer experience (outside-in perspective)

Speaker

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin
Marketing and product director - Octopus Energy

12:00 pm

Snap poll, questions and answers

12:10 pm

Introduction to the mini design sprints

The mini design sprints will see delegates and a series of expert hosts tackle some of the key challenges facing the water industry. The co-hosts will facilitate a debate and a workshop discussion with the aim of working towards answering the questions posed in each topic area.
This pre-lunch session will be an opportunity to be introduced to the challenge, various hosts, and the other delegates.

Challenges:

Leakage: How can the water industry achieve zero leakage?
Customer experience: How can water companies match Amazon for customer service?
Sludge & energy: How can water companies become energy neutral in their operations?
Water resources: How can we ensure the UK has enough water in 2050?
Partnerships: How can the water industry embed innovation as business-as-usual?

12:40 pm

Buffet lunch, networking & exhibition

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm

MINI DESIGN SPRINTS

Delegates can choose one design sprint to participate in. Feedback from all of the sessions will be given to the entire conference in a later session.

LEAKAGE

Challenge: How can the water industry achieve zero leakage?

Leakage is something Ofwat is challenging all water companies on, having set a reduction target of at least 15 per cent by 2025. The regulator says the industry could save up to 170 billion litres of water a year by targeting leaks.

Overall, the amount of water lost through leakage has reduced by around one-third since 1994. However, progress has stalled, with leakage levels remaining relatively static since 2000.

How can this progress be restarted, and can can the holy grail of zero leakage ever be obtained?

Co-hosted by:
Eddie Wrigley, Innovation Facilitator, Northumbrian Water
Kara Hazelgrave, Research & innovation development manager, Leeds University

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Challenge: How can water companies match Amazon for customer service?

The regulator is expecting water companies to set even more ambitious commitments to customers as part of PR19, the sector needs to step up and deliver in all areas, not just some.

With these ambitious goals, and a growing comparison with companies outside the utility sector, such as Amazon and John Lewis, water companies need to bring in new and innovative ways to improve their customer service to compete with the best.

Co-hosted by:
Jacob Tompkins, Chief technical officer, The Water Retail Company
Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Marketing and product director, Octopus Energy

SLUDGE & ENERGY

Challenge: How can water companies become energy neutral in their operations?

The treatment of sludge from sewage treatment plants is a challenge but also a green energy opportunity.

For wastewater companies, converting sewage sludge into biogas reduces residual sludge volumes that need to be dealt with, and can have a financial benefit, either by using the energy produced on-site, or by selling it.

How can this opportunity be used to make water companies energy neutral, or even net energy exporters?

Co-hosted by:
Dan Green, Head of sustainability and innovation, Wessex Water
Piers Clark, Founder and chairman, Isle Utilities

WATER RESOURCES

Challenge: How can we ensure the UK has enough water in 2050?

Society needs confidence that the water and wastewater services they receive, and demand, will be provided today and in the long term, without compromising the environment. Ofwat is also demand it.

The threat of drought is a growing concern for water companies, especially those in the south and east of England. This is a key part of their resilience challenge to ensure increasingly strained water resources can still meet a growing demand. How this challenge will be met will require innovative thinking and problem solving beyond those actions already being implemented.

Co-hosted by:
Aaron Burton, Director of policy and innovation, Waterwise
Kieran Brocklebank, Head of innovation, United Utilities

PARTNERSHIPS

Challenge: How can the water industry embed innovation as business-as-usual?

Innovation comes from a variety of source in the UK water sector. Often contractor partners or SMEs develop innovative technologies and solutions, whilst academia is increasingly tied up with research and development of new ideas.

Getting these projects and new technologies off the drawing board, through initial development and the pilot stage, through into the business-as-usual operation of the water companies can be difficult, especially as there is an inherent risk in deploying something new.

What can be done to encourage this innovative research and development, and to embed these new technologies into their everyday operation?

Co-hosted by:
Emma Marshall, Programme manager, United Utilities Innovation Lab, L Marks
Iliana Portugues, Head of innovation, Electricity Transmission Owner, National Grid

3:00 pm

Refreshments, networking & exhibition

3:30 pm

Sprint feedback

DISRUPTION AND DIGITISATION

3:50 pm

INNOVATION SHOWCASE

Vote on your favourite innovation in this Dragon’s Den style session where start-ups, disruptors and SMEs will showcase their cutting-edge solutions.

4:10 pm

Collaborating to innovate

The importance of looking outside the water sector
Co-creating digital solutions with customers and stakeholders
Rapidly developing and testing solutions

Speaker

Gerard Harkin
R+D manager - Southern Water

4:25 pm

Combining new ways of thinking with new technologies

Digital catchment management via Entrade
AI & machine learning – reflecting on the discovery phase

Speaker

Dan Green
Head of sustainability and innovation - Wessex Water

4:40 pm

Check back for details

4:55 pm

Snap poll, questions and answers

5:00 pm

Agenda

27 November 2018

Registration, refreshments & exhibition

Welcome and introduction from conference chair

Speaker

WHAT DOES INNOVATION LOOK LIKE IN 2018?

What impact will PR19 have on investment decisions?

Speaker

The key challenges and opportunities for innovation

Speaker

Building an innovation culture: systems, processes and people

Speaker

Snap poll, questions and answers

Refreshments, networking & exhibition

INNOVATION IN PRACTICE

Ofwat and the deployment and development of technology

Speaker

Collaboration case study

Speakers

Unlocking the potential of digital to transform the customer experience (outside-in perspective)

Speaker

Snap poll, questions and answers

Introduction to the mini design sprints

Buffet lunch, networking & exhibition

MINI DESIGN SPRINTS

DISRUPTION AND DIGITISATION

INNOVATION SHOWCASE

Collaborating to innovate

Speaker

Combining new ways of thinking with new technologies

Speaker

Check back for details

Snap poll, questions and answers

Close of conference