WET News

Tackling new challenges • Former rugby union professional Matt Cannon wants to ensure water companies recognise the full value Clancy Docwra can offer going into AMP7 as he prepares to become the company's new CEO By Robin Hackett 6 WET NEWS JANUARY 2019 | wwtonline.co.uk INTERVIEW I n 2004, after a professional r ug b y u n i o n c a r e e r t h a t brought England Sevens rec- ognition, Matt Cannon began working for Clancy Docwra, the company founded by his grand- father in 1958. Next month, he becomes The Clancy Group's chief executive, representing the third generation of the family to take the helm. Over the last 15 years, Cannon has immersed himself in the busi- ness, working with clients includ- ing Thames Water, Anglian Water and South East Water before becoming chief operating officer in 2016. When he begins his new role on 1 February, Cannon will lead The Clancy Group's operating companies, Clancy Docwra and Clancy Developments, as well as Clancy Plant and says he is "very proud" to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncles. "The business has been in my blood for a long time," he adds. His initial experience with Clancy Docwra came over 20 years ago when he worked as an opera- tive to fund some travelling before starting university. "I hadn't really thought of it being a career move at that stage, but I really enjoyed the dynamic of the business, the family ethos, and being involved in something I cared about," he says. After university, though, he had the opportunity to pursue a career in rugby union. He spent three years on the books at Lon- don Irish as well as representing England Sevens as they triumphed at the 2003 tournament in Hong Kong, featuring alongside players including Henry Paul, Jamie Noon, Phil Greening and Magnus Lund. "I learned a huge amount from rugby – not just about sport but about the dynamics of working with teams and effective perfor- mance in elite sports, which has played a huge part in influencing my career to date and our own people development initiatives," he says. For a number of years, he divided his time between rugby and the family business, with the balance gradually shifting towards the latter. "I recognised that rugby wasn't going to be forever, so I started doing some part-time work in the business, primarily to get some experience on my CV," he says. " The life of a professional sportsman is quite interesting – while it's a full-time job, it's not exactly full-time. There's quite a lot of training and rest time, and we used to always have a day off during the week to get some work experience. I spent some time in our rail division and in our head office with our marketing and bid team, writing prequalification and tender documents, and I really enjoyed it. "I reached a higher level than I thought I was ever going to reach in rugby, but the time came to change tack and I went from full- time professional to semi-profes- sional. I joined a club called Lon- d o n We l s h a n d t h e n h a d a conversation with family and went into the business." His years with the company have seen him work across a range of sectors but, prior to becoming chief operating officer, the bulk of his time had been spent working on its water company contracts. As a result, he is well placed to understand the pressures the sec- tor is facing and believes Clancy Docwra can play a more substan- tial role in ensuring successful outcomes. "The view is that it's going to be a pretty challenging regulatory environment going into AMP7," he says. "We know there's going to be some large improvement targets around things like leakage, and we see ourselves as a key part- ner for the water companies in the Matt Cannon outside The Clancy Group's headquarters

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