Speakers
24th Annual Leakage Conference 4th and 5th December 2023
John Birkhead
Water Network Strategy and Planning Manager, United Utilities
John is the Water Network Strategy and Planning Manager at United Utilities, and leads a team responsible for developing and embedding water network strategies. Building on his experience of leakage and water demand strategy development, John’s remit covers water supply interruptions and water quality. Previously, John supported the development of several water resources management plans, with technical expertise spanning the whole planning process, including supply and demand forecasting, risk/uncertainty analysis and decision-making methods.
Dr Richard Collins
Senior Lecturer - Water Engineering, University of Sheffield
After graduating from aerospace engineering, Richard undertook a PhD exploring the buckling of non-linear elastic tubes in torsion and their use as control valves. Since 2009, Richard has worked in civil engineering, initially researching the risk of contaminant intrusion in WDS through transient events. Richard's research interests include transients in water distribution systems, including the monitoring and modelling of transients in real systems, exploring their impacts on infrastructure assets, and understanding the uncertainties associated with propagation in real complex networks. He is also committed to the understanding of leakage and the physical causes of leakage, and how to find, fix and maintain networks. Richard is also researching the hydraulics of intermittent water systems, and exploring approaches to transition to continuous water systems.
Tanya Dady
Director and Co-founder, Dayworth Consulting
Tanya has 17 years’ experience in the water industry, having fulfilled roles in network modelling, leakage management, asset strategy and smart water strategy. Tanya has previously worked in senior management roles for SES Water, heading up the delivery of the first company-wide smart network in the UK, establishing the world’s largest pipe condition assessment programme through the DMA Asset Health project and, most recently, programme managing the smart metering roll-out for SES Water. Tanya has now leveraged her experience and moved into the world of consultancy, establishing Dayworth Consulting in 2023.
Tim Farewell
Director, MapleSky
Tim helps decision-makers in water companies gain the clarity they need to better manage their networks. Tim is an environmental data scientist, who has spent much of the last 20 years studying the interactions between soil, weather and infrastructure failures. He helps water companies to model the impacts to their networks from climate change so they can both demonstrate to regulators and their investors the scale of the coming challenges, and also focus their short-term resources more efficiently to maximise long-term resilience. Tim is passionate about helping leaders change their organisations for the betterment of the people they serve now and in the future.
Pete Felton
Business Development, National Robotarium
In his role at The National Robotarium, Pete works in the domains of nuclear, on- and off-shore energy, construction, manufacturing, space and unmanned autonomous vehicles. Pete has a wide breadth of experience in many roles in industry, from software and systems engineering to project and programme management, strategy and business development. He has worked closely with many cultures across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He enjoys working closely with people to see whether robotics and AI can provide solutions to the challenges they face.
Richard Fielding
Smart Water Technical Lead, Anglian Water
Richard has 16 years’ experience working across multiple disciplines within treated water distribution, including active leakage control, pressure management, transient detection and mitigation and smart water. Richard’s recent work has focused on harnessing the power of data and technology to better understand the many factors that affect pipe deterioration. Richard is always looking to collaborate with colleagues from across the industry, particularly within the field of pipe deterioration and failure.
Dr Sam Fox
Head of Integrated Network Strategy, United Utilities
Sam is Head of Integrated Network Strategy, leading strategic and technical teams in water and wastewater networks at United Utilities. His role brings together experience in wastewater networks as an operational area manager with past academic studies and subsequent doctorate in leakage management from the University of Sheffield. Since 2021, Sam has led UKWIR’s Big Question programme on how to achieve zero water supply interruptions by 2050, focusing on the evolution of the routemap to realise this ambition.
Jeremy Heath
Innovation Manager, SES Water
With more than 30 years' experience in the water industry, and a background in mechanical engineering and database applications, Jeremy is responsible for the management of innovation within SES Water. He has a keen interest in innovations that will transform how we manage our water networks, in particular smart metering, smart networks, artificial intelligence and IoT communications. In addition to his role at SES Water, Jeremy is also the lead for the UKWIR national zero leakage project and is responsible for driving the UK leakage research programme.
Matthew Hughes
Smart Systems Strategy Manager, Anglian Water
Matt has a background in leading operational teams in the delivery of safe, clean drinking water, together with extensive experience in asset management and leading large infrastructure investment programmes. Most recently, Matt has led specialist teams in the delivery of a large and varied optimisation programme including network optimisation and pressure management, energy efficiency, treatment works optimisation and delivery of smart network solutions. These programmes delivered significant savings in leakage and water loss, operational expenditure and carbon, while ensuring excellent customer service. Matt is currently the senior leader on the Safe Smart Systems project ensuring effective delivery on behalf of Anglian Water and the wider industry. This transformational programme aims to evolve water operations through the use of AI and developing the capabilities and organisational design to make it successful.
Paul Ives
Senior Consultant – Leakage and Water Resources, WRc
With 13 years in the water industry, Paul has been deeply immersed in the intricate challenges and dynamics of minimising water loss and optimising water resources. His journey has taken him through a diverse range of projects, where he's successfully applied his operational knowledge to develop innovative solutions and strategies. As a Senior Consultant, Paul combines his operational acumen, technical data expertise, stakeholder engagement finesse and team management acumen. His dedication to staying at the forefront of the field ensures he offers valuable contributions that positively impact his team's objectives and the larger mission of water conservation. Paul looks forward to further engaging with colleagues and partners in the industry to continue making significant strides in minimising water loss and maximising the efficient use of water resources.
David Jacobs
Leakage Strategy Manager, Anglian Water
David has worked for Anglian Water for over 20 years in a variety of roles in the leakage team, most recently as Leakage Strategy Manager. He has responsibility for all aspects of leakage reporting and the water balance. In collaboration with the water resources and optimisation teams, he also defines the leakage strategy and investments required to ensure the company’s supply-demand balance is maintained in the future as part of the water resources management plan and business plan submissions.
Edward John
PhD student, University of Sheffield
Edward’s research investigates the mechanisms that cause grey cast iron water pipes to develop leaks, and the form that early-stage leaks take. This research aims to provide fundamental knowledge that can be used to enhance leak location techniques and inform pipe replacement strategies. Before starting his PhD, Edward worked as an engineering consultant in the rail industry. Edward’s PhD is sponsored by UKWIR via the Water Infrastructure Resilience (WIRe) Centre for Doctoral Training.
Thomas Langshaw
PhD student, University of Sheffield
Thomas’s PhD focuses on understanding the degrading impact of pressure transients on cast iron pipes. A graduate of civil engineering from the same university, Thomas has a deep interest in the behaviour of pipes during transient conditions. Funded by UKWIR and EPSRC, his work aims to provide insight into the hydraulic conditions within networks that are of most concern to utilities from a leakage standpoint. Utilising full-scale experiments on buried pipelines, and producing results with direct application and validity for scenarios actually experienced by pipes is a key driving force behind his project.
Dene Marshallsay
Director, Artesia
Dene is a Director of Artesia Consulting and subject-matter expert in water supply and resource management. Key expertise includes leakage and water loss management, water balance audits, demand management and forecasting, micro-component analysis of water use, network, revenue and smart metering. His expertise in these areas extends to strategy development, policy, regulation, as well as tactical deployment of solutions. Dene has recently been supporting companies in how to analyse smart meter data to better understand demand. Dene has over 30 years’ experience in the UK and international water industry.
Glen Mountfort
Director of Technical Consulting, WRc
Glen joined WRc in August 2020 as Senior Consultant and specialises in leakage and water resources planning. He has previously worked for Jacobs and South Staffs Water and has extensive experience from his 18 years of working in the industry, both directly for water companies and as a consultant. Glen has been involved in producing business plans at PR09, PR14 and PR19 and water resources management plans at WRMP14 and WRMP19. Between 2017 and 2020, Glen provided technical assurance to a number of UK water companies, both in terms of annual performance reporting and business plans and water resources management plans. He is currently working on a number of UK-based and international leakage related projects.
Dr Jen Muggleton
Principal Research Fellow, Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton
Jen has 35 years’ experience in modelling and understanding various aspects of vibration in structures, under water and in the ground. She worked at the Defence Research Agency (now Dstl) from 1985 to 1994, then at the ISVR on acoustics and structural vibration projects concerning wave propagation in buried plastic pipes for leak detection and pipe location. She instigated and led the ISVR involvement in the first two Mapping the Underworld projects investigating vibro-acoustic methods for detecting and locating buried infrastructure, as well as its follow-on project Assessing the Underworld. Over the last decade, she has worked extensively with UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) and allied industries on their strategic initiative Zero Leakage 2050.
Ian Pemberton
Principal Engineer, Water Engineering Science and Technology, Ofwat
For the last seven years, Ian has been Principal within the Water Engineering Science and Technology profession within Ofwat. He has a wide role providing technical input to Ofwat's monitoring of company performance, Environment team, Enforcement and Casework, Outcomes – including performance commitments, and price review. Prior to joining Ofwat, Ian held positions in a number of engineering consultancies, including (what is now) WSP, Utilitec, Atkins and Amey. In his recent experience, he has been part of the Ofwat team tightening the technical specification for leakage performance commitments in the UK. He has keen interest in the definition of leakage/unaccounted for water and non-revenue water and in being able to draw meaningful international comparisons. Ian is a graduate of Lancaster University and has been a Chartered Engineer since 1994.
Michael Purvis
Managing Director, Seal Water Technology
Michael is co-founder and Managing Director of Seal Water Technology Ltd. He is a business owner, innovator and investor, with broad experience in management, surveying, manufacture and product development, particularly within leak detection and swimming pool equipment fields. Michael is passionate about water and energy conservation. Michael holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering and holds a private pilot’s licence.
Axel Rendahl
Water Balance Process & Leakage Reporting Lead, Thames Water
Axel joined Thames Water in 2021 with the objective of improving the accuracy, credibility and reliability of leakage reporting. He now leads the assurance and continuous improvement function alongside the in-year leakage reporting and insight team. He drives the end-to-end digitalisation and streamlining of the water balance and leakage reporting processes, with a mission to provide accurate and consistent reporting and actionable insight to enhance leakage performance. Axel holds an MEng from Cambridge University and started his career as a consultant. Since 2016, he has focused on the water industry, designing and delivering transformation programmes across retail, operations, digital, regulation and asset management.
Dr Joe Sanders
Senior Technical Director, RPS
Joe has 16 years’ experience as an academic, water company employee and consultant. He has worked in all areas of clean water networks, with a focus on leakage and asset management, using his experience to assist companies with their strategic and operational challenges. Joe previously held a number of positions at Affinity Water and Artesia, where he focused on network asset management and leakage operations. Joe is a Fellow of CIWEM and a Chartered Engineer, Scientist, Environmentalist and Water & Environmental Manager. He sits on the CIWEM water resources panel.
Mark Shepherd
Product Manager Integrated Water Solutions, GWF
Mark is a professional civil engineer and has been involved with various aspects of non-revenue water reduction activities throughout his career. He has 30 years’ dedicated experience in the field of water distribution management and water distribution efficiency and has worked in 27 countries. His skills range from strategic and tactical planning to leakage and water efficiency practitioner. He has a passion for research and development on leakage theory and refinement of accepted practice, leading to the development of several unique innovative data analytics using machine learning techniques. He has recently been involved with developing digital innovation and transformation strategies for the public and private sectors, and the application of blockchain technology in the design and use of smart contracts in water and wastewater networks.
Peter Simpson
Chief Executive, Anglian Water
Peter has been Chief Executive of Anglian Water Group since October 2013. His previous roles include Managing Director of Anglian Water from January 2010 and Chief Operating Officer from 2004. After completing an MSc in Analytical Chemistry at the University of East Anglia, Peter joined Anglian Water as one of its first graduate management trainees. Since then he has remained with the company, with spells working in America, Europe and Asia. As a founding member, and now co-chair, of the UK Corporate Leaders Group, he has championed business action on climate change over many years. He is also an active supporter of Business in the Community (BiTC), which focuses on the positive difference business can make to communities. He currently Chairs BiTC’s East of England Leadership Team and is a Trustee of the international water charity WaterAid. He is a Past President of the Institute of Water and a former Chair of Water UK. Peter holds an MBA from Warwick Business School and is a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, a Chartered Scientist and a Chartered Environmentalist. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Society of the Environment and an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.
William Smith
Technical Director, Seal Water Technology
William is an experienced engineer with a background in new product development, automation and factory engineering. He has assisted with the development of pumps, filters, electrolyzers, MRI machines, flow batteries and most recently, leak detection systems. William has lodged a number of patents in electrochemistry and water treatment systems. More recently, William has lodged two patents for leak detection systems, including a co-invention with Dr Duncan Hywel-Evans and Ying Li for the Active Pulse Leak Detection system. William is passionate about water and energy conservation and his mission to make a difference.
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Bob Taylor
Chief Executive, Portsmouth Water
Bob is currently Chief Executive Officer of Portsmouth Water. Portsmouth Water has a 160-year history of providing water services on the south coast of the UK, today serving a population of around 800,000. The company has a well-established reputation as one of the consistently best performers in the sector at lowest price and has embarked on the first major reservoir project to be built in the UK since privatisation. Prior to this, Bob was Operations Director – Drinking Water Services for South West Water, part of the FTSE-listed Pennon Group.
Stuart Trow
Consultant, HWM Invenio
Stuart has worked in the UK water industry for nearly 50 years, most of which have seen him directly involved with leakage management from all perspectives. He has managed leakage data and leak detection teams as a water company manager, has owned and managed a company specialising in ELL estimation, pressure management and leak detection, and has been a director of two pressure management companies, and two mains rehabilitation companies. He has undertaken regulatory and strategy reviews for several UK water companies and Irish Water. He was Ofwat reporter for Anglian Water and was the Leakage Reviewer for WICS and Scottish Water from 2009 to 2022. Stuart is currently employed as a consultant by HWM Invenio and acts as Project Director for the Ofwat funded Managing Background Leakage initiative.
Mikal Willmott
Leakage Assurance Analyst, Severn Trent Water
Mikal is a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, who has worked for more than 20 years at Severn Trent Water, having joined their graduate programme straight from university. Mikal has specialised in water loss management, understanding water demand and flow monitoring. Mikal currently sits on the Flow Measurement Special Interest Group Leadership Group and was formerly on the British Standards Committee for metering in closed pipes.
Daniel Woodworth
Director and Co-founder, Dayworth Consulting
Daniel is a UK-based Chartered Water Engineer with 17 years’ experience. Working for SES Water for 12 years in senior roles, most recently as Head of Asset Strategy, he led a team who drove considerable change to how SES manage their operational assets. He was responsible for strategic, highly innovative projects, achieving a marked improvement in leakage, network performance and management of assets to improve efficiency and resilience. Having co-founded Dayworth Consulting in 2023, his focus now is to help clients develop smart solutions, delivering sustainable strategies in asset management and leakage reduction and helping them to achieve operational excellence.
Jenny Wright
Strategy & Transformation Consultant, Jacobs
Jenny has extensive experience in implementing strategic transformation programmes, Theories of Change and people-focused behavioural change programmes, specialising in complex major infrastructure programmes and innovation projects across water and highways. As Transformation Lead for Safe Smart Systems, Jenny is creating and implementing transformation strategies, and plans to help maximise employee adoption, usage and minimise resistance. This includes understanding the future state operating environment, where an AI Decision Engine is delivering its intended benefits, and the delivery of the associated transformation at an industry, organisation, business and individual level to increase benefit realisation, value creation and the achievement of results and outcomes across all aspects of the project.