Westernport Water

Dona Tantirimudalige was appointed Managing Director of Westernport Water in September 2021 and is Chair of Intelligent Water Networks (IWN).

Dona is an experienced leader within the Victorian water industry and has a strong passion for the role of the public sector in creating a fair and just society, with a focus on those we serve.

Dona has over 27 years of experience in the water industry across strategic planning, customer experience and the asset life cycle. She also has over ten years of board director experience across various sectors, including not-for-profits, community banking, legal services and peak bodies.

Dona is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a Master of Public Policy & Management and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil – Honours), and is currently an industry director on the Energy & Water Ombudsman Victoria Board.

Lower Murray Water

Paul Northey is Managing Director of Lower Murray Water and Deputy Chair of Intelligent Water Networks (IWN).

Paul is an experienced leader in the Victorian water industry, with extensive experience across both urban and rural water sectors. His career has spanned project and service delivery, strategic planning and corporate strategy, with a strong focus on supporting regional communities and sustainable water management.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), a Master of Engineering (Environmental) and a Master of Business Administration. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

North East Water

Jo Murdoch is Managing Director at North East Water. She’s passionate about innovation, new technologies and design thinking to improve services and value for communities.

Prior to joining North East Water, Jo was an executive leader in both the water and local government sectors.

Jo has an MBA and was recognised in IPAA’s 2022 Top 50 Public Sector Women Awards for her leadership commitment and contribution during the COVID-19 crisis.

Gippsland Water

Sarah has extensive experience in successfully leading transformational change and implementing large scale technology solutions across multiple tiers of government. Her expertise is in governance, strategic leadership, complex problem solving, business transformation and creating enabling cultures to drive sustainable futures.

An experienced litigation lawyer and business leader, Sarah also holds a Director role and is former President of the Institute of Water Administration (IWA), and is an Independent Trustee of a private charitable trust.

Sarah lives in Gippsland and is passionate about driving change that will build a sustainable future for her region, and state.

Barwon Water

David is General Manager, Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure, overseeing strategic asset management, smart networks, infrastructure operations and circular economy initiatives across water, wastewater, recycled water, energy and organic recycling.

David is a senior executive with extensive experience across the water, housing and government sectors, with expertise in strategy, project delivery, asset management, innovation and stakeholder engagement.

David holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), a Master of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

VicWater

Jo joined VicWater in March 2019 in a 2IC role, with overall responsibility for the planning, implementation, control and reporting of industry-supported special projects.

Jo started her career in the federal public service, before holding senior executive roles in the IT sector and management consultancy.

Jo has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Melbourne, and a Diploma of Business and Diploma of Management from Swinburne University. Jo is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), and a member of the Australian Water Association.

Central Highlands Water

Jeff commenced as Managing Director at Central Highlands Water in 2022. His values-based leadership style is underpinned by integrity, strategic thinking, collaboration, inclusion and resilience. During his career, Jeff has demonstrated a proven ability to lead and affect positive environmental, social and governance outcomes.

Since joining CHW in 2009, as General Manager Infrastructure Planning & Operations, Jeff has been responsible for the delivery of a large and diverse portfolio of services including managing water treatment and supply systems, infrastructure planning & network operations, catchment health, growth and development and climate change.

Prior to this, Jeff was the Director of Infrastructure at City of Ballarat and has had extensive experience in water engineering consulting.

Wannon Water

Steven was appointed Managing Director of Wannon Water in July 2025, following 18 years with the organisation.

A Chartered Accountant, Steven has extensive experience across finance, corporate governance, economic regulation, risk and strategic leadership. Prior to becoming Managing Director, he held executive roles including Chief Financial Officer and General Manager People and Business Services.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Deakin University and has over 20 years of governance experience across government and not-for-profit sectors, including as Chair, Deputy Chair and Treasurer.

Greater Western Water

Kessia is General Manager, Strategy and Partnerships at Greater Western Water (GWW).

She is responsible for enterprise strategy, communications, and pricing, and led the organisation’s first price submission following the integration of City West Water and Western Water, approved in June 2024.

With qualifications in Environmental Engineering, Kessia has extensive experience across sustainable development, governance, and environmental policy. Her leadership approach is focused on delivering strong environmental, social, and organisational outcomes, with a commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion across the sector.

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Grant Breheny is Director, Water Portfolio Governance and Compliance at the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).

Grant is an experienced senior executive with a strong background across government, health, water and resource recovery. He has held leadership roles focused on strategy, governance, performance, organisational improvement and operational delivery, including Executive Director Operations at Recycling Victoria.

Grant brings extensive experience in transformation, continuous improvement, governance and stakeholder engagement, with a strong focus on improving public services and outcomes for Victorian communities.

IWN Program Director

Jason joined Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) in 2023 from Greater Western Water (GWW) where he was the Manager of Innovation and Continuous Improvement. Jason played a key role in the integration of GWW by leading the Operations Stream Integration.

Jason has an extensive innovation career in the Utilities Sector, small/medium enterprise and the education sector.

He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from Flinders University and a Certificate of Management from Mt Eliza Business School. Jason also studied under Gary Hamel at the Innovation Academy in the US.

IWN Deputy Program Director

Isobel Decru joined Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) as Deputy Program Director in 2024 from South East Water, where she worked as a Research Officer with a focus on biosolids management and innovation.

She also held a concurrent role as Project Officer at the ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource at RMIT University, supporting cross-sector collaboration and research translation.

Isobel holds a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environmental Science, and brings experience across utility and research environments.