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| 27TH SEPTEMBER - 3RD OCTOBER 2019 | UTILITY WEEK
Policy & Regulation
Analysis
S
itting in a tepee under a cloudless
sky in Ipswich, Heidi Mottram,
chief executive of Northumbrian
Water (which also owns Essex & Suf-
folk Water), chats about Innovate East
– the three-day event organised jointly
by Anglian and Essex & Suffolk – and
how collaboration is key to breaking
the mould.
Innovation through collabora-
tion was encouraged at the numer-
ous hackathons taking place in tents
around the site as well as data sprints.
Speakers included Carol Vorderman,
Green & Black's co-founder Jo Fair-
ley and technology writer Kate Rus-
sell. There was a focus on wellbeing,
with yoga, country walks, sweets and
even 3D printing of chocolate faces.
Refreshments served from food trucks
added to the festival atmosphere.
Mottram says the two companies
working together for the event rep-
resents how the sector can tackle
challenges.
"The future will be much more
about collaboration," she says. "This
is a powerful and visible signal of
collaboration being a good thing. I'm
super-proud of that and Peter Simpson
[chief executive] from Anglian would
say the same."
Great minds
think together
Blue sky thinking under a blue sky saw 1,800
people from a wealth of organisations came
together in an industry-first collaboration
between Anglian Water and Northumbrian. Ruth
Williams was there.
Northumbrian CEO Heidi Mottram
