No 150: Forget the Oscars

Tonight I hosted the 6^th annual Thames Water Health & Safety Awards. You might think that a H&S award ceremony would be dull, but you could not be more wrong. 200 of London’s hardest working contractors and utility-people gathered in the Millennium Mayfair hotel, previously most famous for being the venue at which the ex-Russian KGB agent Alexander Litvineko was poisoned with Polonium 210 by two of his former colleagues. From tonight onwards it will be famous for having hosted one of the best award nights ever held by a water utility.

Like all good award ceremonies there was a common theme running through the event:  a celebration of the Queens 90^th birthday. There was a throne, crowns, Bulldogs and Corgis (plastic not real), life-sized cut-outs of the Royal family (sorry Ma’am). There was even a house-sized Union Jack that, if size mattered (I assure my wife regularly that it doesn’t) would have deserved a prize. In keeping with the royal theme I was dressed appropriately enough as Medieval Court Jester. This was not my choosing and it is not a look that I will repeat any time soon, but I confess to hugely enjoying spending an evening holding sway as the Lord of Misrule.

As host one might think my role was simply to ensure things ran smoothly; to make sure that the right people got the right awards and that everyone got home on time. Give credit where it is due, Thames Water actively encouraged me to expand this scope. A free rein was given and I ran with it. If you are ever given the freedom to break the rules then I encourage you to embrace it wholeheartedly.

I honestly can’t pick my favourite moment. Was it the ad hoc juggling competition between some game senior managers I had coaxed (bullied?) onto the stage? Or perhaps it was when we persuaded the 8 award winners to participate in a (car-crash) display of Morris Dancing. It raised both a laugh and almost £1000 for WaterAid. I am so hoping the videos go viral. Actually I know my highlight. It was getting an MD from a one of the Contracting Partners to deliver a genuine Medieval Jestering talent and, standing proudly on stage in front of his peers, competitors, clients and subordinates,  fart-on-command. Glorious. There is little the British like more than a good bit of toilet humour. Worth noting that that particular part of the evening wasn’t meant to be high-brow.

We didn’t mention the football, and Brexit was temporarily forgotten (5 days on I am still in mourning) .

Despite the above antics, tonight was a serious celebration of some truly stellar performance. The night was all the more meaningful as it represents Martin Baggs, my former boss, last time at the helm for this annual celebration. Later this summer he will stand down from his post as CEO of Thames Water.

Martin’s personal leadership and commitment to H&S has led to a staggering, jaw-dropping improvement in almost every H&S statistic that is used to measure performance. Achievements like this can only be delivered by a wide team not an individual, but it is the leadership that sets the goal and keeps the vision focused. We finished this evening with a heart-warming video of staff thanking Martin personally and recounting some of the key achievements from the past 7 years since he took over as CEO. The roll-call was impressive. This is Martins legacy.

I trust he will sleep soundly tonight, proud of that legacy.

These Notes and previous versions can be found at  http://notesfrompiers.blogspot.co.uk/

No 149: Sunday 10th July is going to be SPECTACULAR….

I am experiencing excitement levels akin to those of an 8 year old boy just before Christmas. Sunday 10^th July is only 35 ‘sleeps’ away (not that I am counting). It is going to be utterly awesome. There are, of course, many reasons why this date is important. For example, this date marks the birthday for Nikola Tesla, the Serbian inventor who, around 1900, invented 3 phase electric power and the induction motor. He is not alone in having this as an important anniversary. A quick google search informs me that this date is also Jessica Simpson’s birthday. You know her. She is buxom actress/pop star best known for her role in the (dubious) movie remake of The Dukes of Hazzard. This year she will be 35. Again.

Important those these anniversaries undoubtedly are, these are not the reason for my excitement: Sunday 10^th July 2016 marks the start of the Singapore International Water Week. My enthusiasm is because as part of the opening celebrations for the week there will be a TechXchange forum where the brightest and best water and wastewater technologies from across the world will be showcased and glorified. It is going to be terrific.

Singapore International Water Week, like the mating pattern of a blue whale, occurs only once every 2 years. It is arguably the biggest and most important event in the Asian water calendar, and it sends ripples around the world. PUB (the Public Utilities Board of Singapore, who host the event) have succeeded in establishing a brand that is known and respected over the globe.

This year, Isle Group will be organising the TechXchange forum and what a treat we have in store for the delegates! There will be the usual mix of important and informed speakers sharing pearls of wisdom (as a particular coup, we even have someone from Microsoft speaking). However, the highlight, and the core reason for my excitement, will be the panel debate session. This is being sponsored by XPV and will be different to anything ever seen at a water conference before. Gone is the staid format of a panel of talking heads. At TechXchange there will be a proper old-style blood-and-guts debate, complete with a huge dollop of innovation and audience participation. We have identified a suitably contentious issue which will be vigorously debated by teams of panellists. They will (metaphorically) slug it out in-front of the (baying) audience. There will even be an interactive App which will show in real time how the audience is responding. Who is landing the killer blows? Who is being defeated?

It will be just like an election night….. with the added twist that this will actually be interesting!

As you can see from the above, everyone should be in Singapore on July 10^th. Even if you are not ‘watery’ you would still find it fascinating (my mum reads these Notes, and I am fully expecting her to attend). If you are already attending the main event then click here to book your ticket to TechXchange too (http://www.techxchange2016.com/#!buy-tickets/z49gr). If you are not yet attending can I politely suggest you sell your car/pet/beloved possessions and book your flight so you don’t miss out. I look forward to seeing you there.

(For more details on the Singapore International Water Week ‘TechXchange’ please see below).

Piers Clark

Chairman, Isle Group

Tel +44 7976 344233

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Bringing new Technologies to Life!  View this email in your browser We are pleased to announce the confirmed short-list of innovative water technologies who will present as part of the TechXchange Innovation Showcase taking place on 10th July at SIWW. The TechXchange Innovation Showcase will feature short presentations from each of the companies followed by a detailed Q&A session from a distinguished panel of judges. The audience will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite technology via our customised TechXchange app, sponsored by XPV Water Partners. Click here to reserve your delegate place NOW! To view the full agenda please click here Subnero is a Singaporean start-up company aiming to offer high-performance underwater Communications, Navigation, Monitoring & Sensing solutions for commercial deployments.  Syrinix is an award winning leader in providing intelligent pipeline monitoring solutions. Combining high-resolution data with automated analysis and alerts, Syrinix’s solutions are transforming utilities’ ability to reduce leaks, breaks and costs. Nanostone Water is leading development efforts for the next generation of ceramic membranes with a high surface area ceramic monolith UF membrane intended to provide well-recognized benefits of ceramic membranes at a price point competitive with polymeric membranes.  Lighthaus photonics is a Singapore based high-tech start-up focusing on advanced photonics, specifically with its laser vibrometry and hyperspectral camera technologies. These technologies significantly reduce costs for cost-sensitive industries.  CITIC Envirotech is a company offering technologically advanced membrane-based water and wastewater treatment solutions. Their innovation is a pressurised membrane module, which is manufactured with high-performance PVDF hollow fibre UF membranes.  Century Water specialises in process water, clean water, and wastewater treatment technologies. The supply and operation of the Fluidised Bed Crystallisation technology for waste water treatment distinguishes Century Water from their competitors. OxyMem solves energy intensive wastewater treatment with an innovative ‘Drop in’ solution for wastewater aeration, the Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR). OxyMem MABR can complement existing treatment systems and deliver up to 50% additional biological capacity in an existing aeration or alternatively replace a legacy systems. Arvia Technology designs, manufactures, supplies and installs tertiary or advanced wastewater treatment systems to reduce hard COD, remove colour and treat organic micro-pollutants. Arvia’s ODC™ System brings you the next generation of clean water and wastewater treatment.  Utilis have developed a unique technology for leaks detection in urban/rural drinking water distribution networks. Using technology that is used to look for water on other planets, Utilis analyzes satellite imagery to detect leaks in underground infrastructure. Aerofloat specialises in the treatment of greywater and industrial wastewater from a wide range of industries. Aerofloat designs, manufactures and installs simple, affordable wastewater treatment systems using its patented Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) products and patent pending MBBR systems (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor). TechXchange 2016 is sponsored by:     Copyright © Isle Utilities Ltd 2016, All rights reserved. www.isleutilities.com  www.techXchange.com  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list