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Chris Wallace will speak at next week's Utility Week Con- gress in Birmingham where he will suggest new ways in which utilities can attempt to shape customer perceptions. Caution- ing firms to think carefully about the way they engage with customers, he says: "Customers want to hear from their utilities, but can only engage when the language is theirs, not ours." Personal notes What has been you most suc- cessful or challenging experi- ence in your career and what did you learn from it? Bringing the whole concept of 'brand' into Scottish Water to open dialogue with our cus- People & Opinion Utility Week community Speaker's corner Chris Wallace, director of communications, Scottish Water tomers when we are traditionally such a low profile monopoly ser- vice. To get that approved and then executed effectively you need to have a very clear idea of what you are doing and why, which itself has to be informed by research you are confident has told you what you need to know. And you can never spend too much effort and energy in carrying your team with you. Which five people you would invite to your dream dinner party and why? Hollywood star Amy Adams, whose very name causes my pulse to go haywire; David Bowie, who would hopefully come as Ziggy and not the Laughing Gnome; I'm fascinated by Vladimir Putin, part-time Russian Leader and full-time James Bond villain, though I'd worry he might clash with Bowie so I'd probably have someone diplomatic to smooth that over, maybe the Queen, who must have seen a few things in her time and have a tale to tell. Last seat goes to Mrs Wallace. Name four items you keep on your desk: Pens – any number of cheap plastic pens I've picked up in hotels, conferences, etc, in the knowledge they will soon be lost and replaced by other pens; a picture of wife and fam- ily, hopefully mine; an Aston Martin DBS Coupe – radio- controlled model, not the real thing, to be auctioned off or given as a prize for WaterAid, of which I'm Scottish Chair; and an advertising poster for Regabe beer, which I picked up on a WaterAid visit to Burkina Faso, which reminds me of the warmth of the people there. The main event The Utility Week Congress 2014 takes place 14-15 October at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham City Centre. Speakers include: • Amber Rudd MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change • Cathryn Ross, chief executive, Ofwat • Dermot Nolan, chief executive, Ofgem • Dr Paul Leinster CBE, chief executive, Environment Agency Utility Week Congress is sponsored by BT, Economic Insight, ENSEK and Microsoft" Find out more at www.uw-congress.net UtILItY WeeK | 10th - 16th OctOber 2014 | 7 "Thinking about how they can help customers use less energy and reduce bills will be key as energy companies migrate from commodity- driven to service-led business models" John Webster, vice president marketing and strategy EMEA, Opower, responding to research from Citigroup, UK Energy Policy – Unwinding the Big 6, which suggests the big six's market share will fall below 70 per cent by 2020. New Decc adviser Professor John Loughhead Obe has been named as Decc's new Chief Scientific Adviser. Loughhead is currently executive director at UK energy research centre (UKerc) and is also a member of the european energy research Alliance and the European Advisory Group on energy, an assessor for the technology Strategy board and a member of the UK's energy Research Partnership. He brings extensive knowledge of future energy systems to Decc and takes up his post on 22 October. Affinity boss exits Affinity Water chief executive Rich- ard bienfait will step down from his post in December. Bienfait has worked for Affinity, formerly Veolia, for 17 years and has been chief executive for four-and-a-half years, during which period the company has undergone significant change. A statement from Affinity said the search for a successor was "well under way". On 14 October, Bienfait is due to speak at the Utility Week Congress 2014. ExECuTIvE appOINTmENTs The internet of things A future in which all energy- consuming devices are connected via an internet of things could bring significant indirect benefits to the energy sector via greater grid stability and a reduction in expenditure on generation capacity. This was the message delivered by Rupert Wilmouth, head of energy, Government Office for Science, at Power in Unity, a conference organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Wilmouth said his office will publish in November the results of a cross- sector investigation into the potential impact of the internet of things. The energy sector is a key area of interest.