In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Matthew Parr, Deputy CEO at Tideway, about London’s 16 mile Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer, designed to intercept sewage overflows into the River Thames and connect to the Lee Tunnel and sewage treatment works. Matthew shares his 30 year career and how he joined Tideway in 2011. The conversation explains why Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s system no longer has capacity for a population now over 8 million, and how the project helps address combined sewer overflows. Matthew outlines the project’s planning and novel delivery model, including government support for low probability risks, a £4.6 billion cost, activation in 2025, and over 19 million tons of sewage intercepted.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:31 Matthew Parr Career Path
01:56 What Is 'Thames Tideway Tunnel'
03:11 Why London Needed a Super Sewer
06:07 Funding and Novel Delivery Model
08:02 Progress Results and Costs
10:39 Legacy Vision and Commitments
12:08 COVID Construction Challenge
13:14 Wrap Up

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Matt Wheeldon, Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water, about reframing storm overflow challenges as a rainwater quantity problem best solved through source control. Matt outlines Wessex Water’s service area and explains how high groundwater and prolonged rain can drive inflows to sewers, while summers bring scarcity. He promotes the simple narrative “manage rain better where it lands,” emphasizing rain as a resource to capture and reuse, and to return water to the environment close to where it falls, rather than relying on centralized end-of-pipe solutions. The conversation covers the need for systemic change in legislation, regulation, metrics, and incentives, ongoing UKWIR research, and plans for a rainwater management forum at the World Water Congress in Glasgow.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:21 Matt’s Career Journey
01:26 Meet Wessex Water
02:07 Chalk Aquifer - Blessing and Curse
03:08 Storm Overflow Root Cause
05:51 Manage Rain Where It Lands
08:03 Building Momentum and Allies
10:04 Policy Reform and Metrics
10:46 Research and Glasgow Forum
12:07 Advice and Wrap Up

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Ernie Lau, Chief Engineer and Managing Director of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply in Hawaii, for an update on the US Navy’s Red Hill underground fuel storage facility and its impacts on Oahu’s sole-source aquifer. Ernie recounts major jet fuel releases in 2014 and 2021, explaining how the 2021 spill contaminated the Navy’s separate drinking water system serving nearly 100,000 people, and notes the subsequent shutdown and defueling of the facility, removing 114 million gallons of fuel. He also describes a separate 2022 spill of 1,300 gallons of PFAS-containing AFFF concentrate, ongoing PFAS detections, and estimated remediation costs approaching $2 billion, while calling for stronger regulatory pressure and greater transparency to protect Hawaii’s public trust water resources for future generations.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:44 Ernie Lau Background
01:11 Red Hill Facility Overview
01:56 Spills and Community Impact
03:47 Defueling and Cleanup Progress
04:36 Lingering Contamination Risks
06:02 Costs and Treatment Plans
07:07 PFAS Spill and Findings
08:36 Cultural Stakes and Emotions
09:52 Accountability and Transparency
11:28 Advice for Future Generations
12:50 Wrap Up and Closing

In this episode of Exec Exchange, Piers Clark welcomes Martin Jackson, the new Chief Information Officer at Northumbrian Water in the UK. Martin shares his career journey, transitioning from the automotive sector to utilities, and the various roles he's undertaken within Northumbrian Water. He discusses the importance of apprenticeships and the value of diversity in driving innovation. Martin elaborates on Northumbrian Water's operations, their efforts in digital transformation, AI implementation in smart sewer systems, and the significance of open data collaboration within the UK water industry. The conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities in the sector, emphasizing the need for ethical AI practices. Martin also offers personal advice on overcoming imposter syndrome and reflects on the importance of continuous learning and small steps in career progression.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:27 Martin Jackson's Career Journey
02:39 Northumbrian Water Overview
03:36 Challenges and Innovations in the Water Sector
05:34 Smart Sewer Project and Its Impact
08:56 Collaboration and Open Data Initiatives
10:50 National Underground Asset Register (NUAR)
12:07 Future of AI in the Water Industry
13:26 Advice to the Younger Generation
14:22 Conclusion and Farewell

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Nigel Watson, former CIO of Northumbrian Water, about executive-level succession and the transition to his successor. Nigel reflects on his 40+ year career across multiple sectors and explains how early planning with CEO Heidi Mottram and internal succession preparation with Martin Jackson supported continuity. He emphasizes the CIO’s broader director responsibilities, shared business objectives, and coaching on executive decision-making. Nigel also highlights his legacy of major transformation programs and discusses the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), detailing how Northumbrian Water's Innovation Festival sprints helped overcome data-sharing barriers and catalyzed government-backed delivery of a common underground map with significant annual benefits.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:51 Nigel’s Career Journey
01:38 About Northumbrian Water
02:09 Planning the Exec Handover
03:23 Succession and Director Mindset
05:32 Handover Lessons and Support
06:13 Legacy Beyond the Headlines
07:50 NUAR Explained
09:03 Innovation Festival Origins
10:18 NUAR Sprint to National Rollout
12:49 Impact and Leadership Credit
13:48 Wrap Up and Closing

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Darren Cleary, the new Managing Director of Sydney Water, about leadership at the largest water utility in Australia. Darren outlines Sydney Water’s role serving around 5.5 million customers across 13,000 square kilometers, providing water, wastewater, recycled water, and some stormwater services, operating within an economically regulated, state-owned corporation model. He describes key challenges including rapid greenfield growth, asset renewal and digital expectations, a $32 billion 10-year capital need amid affordability pressures, emerging PFAS concerns, unexpected oil and grease impacts from a major ocean outfall facility, and rising water demand from data centers, emphasizing transparent community engagement, appropriate pricing frameworks, and a high-trust, no-blame learning culture.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:37 Darren’s Career Journey

01:26 Sydney Water Overview

02:31 First Impressions

04:01 Five Year Priorities

04:44 Big Challenges Ahead

06:28 Data Centers and Demand

08:44 FOG Problem

09:36 Trust and Community Engagement

10:49 Leadership Style and Culture

12:10 Wrap Up

In this World Water Day edition of Exec Exchange, Piers Clark speaks with Tanya Huizer, Senior Water Resilience Specialist, and Vivek Raman, Principal Urban Development Specialist from the Asian Development Bank, about the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) 2025, which assesses 50 Asia-Pacific economies across five key dimensions of water security. They highlight ADB’s role and position the report as a practical decision-making and benchmarking tool, tracking progress since 2013, with a country’s overall rating based on its lowest-performing area, reflecting that water security is only as strong as its weakest link and ensuring the focus remains on addressing critical gaps, not competition.

00:00 Introductions

00:48 Tanya’s Water Journey

01:40 Vivek’s Path to Water

02:33 What ADB Does

03:38 About AWDO 2025 Report

05:30 Who the Report Serves

06:18 Purpose of the Report

08:56 Analysis and Contrasts

10:25 ADB's Laundry Transformation Initiative

12:36 Youth Voices in the Report

13:18 Top Performers and Resources

14:20 Advice and Wrap up

In this episode of Exec Exchange, host Piers Clark interviews Erik Harvey, Strategic Program Development Director at WaterAid. They discuss Erik's career journey in the water sector to international aid, WaterAid's mission, and the impact of international aid on water and sanitation projects. Erik shares insights on the challenges of maintaining water infrastructure, the importance of building local capacities, and innovative partnerships such as working with YouTuber Mr. Beast. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of shrinking international aid and the need for sustaining investments in infrastructure and relationships within communities.

00:00 Introduction to the Exec Exchange Podcast

01:07 Meet Erik Harvey: A Journey with WaterAid

02:36 Understanding WaterAid's Mission and Impact

03:40 Challenges in the Water and Sanitation Sector

05:18 Innovative Fundraising and Collaborations

06:41 The Importance of Sustainable Solutions

08:17 Lessons Learned and Future Focus

13:08 Final Thoughts and Advice for the Future

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Bordin Udol, Chief Executive of East Water in Bangkok, about safeguarding water security in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a key economic zone spanning three provinces. Bordin shares his 30-year career journey from designing Bangkok wastewater systems to leading East Water, which manages the full water lifecycle through a 553 km water grid connected to 17 reservoirs and major rivers, delivering both drinking water and wastewater services through its subsidiary, Universal Utilities (UU). The conversation focuses on challenges including climate volatility (El Niño droughts, La Niña heavy rains), saltwater intrusion, and managing non-revenue water (NRW). East Water reduced transmission losses from over 3% to about 1.3% and distribution losses from 30%+ to 16% using rapid-response operations, hydraulic modeling, and AI-enabled leakage detection.

00:00 Welcome and guest intro

00:38 Bordin career journey

01:59 Why water security matters

02:24 What East Water does

04:08 EEC growth and demand

05:35 Climate volatility

06:07 Cutting NRW

06:43 Tech and fast leak response

08:33 Distribution NRW and AI

10:55 Advice to younger self

11:32 Closing remarks

In this episode of the Exec Exchange, host Piers Clark speaks with Damian Wells, Managing Director of Coliban Water in Australia, about how a regional water utility prepares for and responds to extreme bushfire events amid worsening climate volatility. Damian describes Coliban Water’s operational challenges of maintaining services across a large geography. The discussion covers the boom-and-bust climate pattern, how recent extremes have shifted from record floods in October 2022 to multiple failed winters and springs leading into drought by 2026, and the sector’s reliance on surface water. Damian explains how bushfires develop including ignition sources and wind changes, and recounts an early January catastrophic fire risk period with prolonged 43–48°C heat. He details Coliban Water’s 24/7 incident team operations, monitoring via the VicEmergency App and the rapid fire run through Harcourt that destroyed 54 homes and impacted businesses and rural properties. Damian highlights customer support measures including self-funded bill relief and waiving bills for customers who lost homes) along with the Coliban Assist Program. The conversation closes through Damian advising his younger self to focus on building capable, resilient, whole-of-enterprise organizations that can adapt to climate change, financial market shifts, and regulatory change.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:23 Damian Wells Background
01:34 Coliban Water Service Area
02:37 Climate Extremes Context
04:33 How Bushfires Unfold
07:01 Detection and Early Response
08:22 Harcourt Impact and Support
09:46 Incident Team and Comms
11:38 Restoring Water Safely
12:28 Building Future Resilience
14:06 Advice and Wrap Up