Meet the Champion: Adrian Flather from City West Water
Adrian Flather is the new Champion from City West Water, and we asked him to tell us a little bit about himself.
Can you give us a bit of your personal background?
I’m Melbourne born and bred and live in the North Eastern suburbs with my wife, two kids and three chickens! Life is a typical busy mix of work, rest and play involving young teenage kids with sports and other interests, enjoying quality family time, IoT and tech hobbies, getting away camping when we can and a healthy serve of mountain biking on the side.
And what is your professional background?
Having studied industrial design at RMIT, I spent eight years in the film and television industry as a prop maker, amongst other things, before a career change and an adult apprenticeship to become a duel trade electrician/ instrumentation technician.
I’ve since spent my entire career in the water industry in one form or another, specialising in industrial control systems and instrumentation. The last five-and-a-half years have been spent at City West Water within operations and commissioning at waste water treatment plants and recycled water plants.
Six month ago, an opportunity arose to move into our strategy and planning within the senior intelligent networks and assets engineer role. The main focus of this role is the joint program digital metering project and investigating opportunities to leverage emerging technologies. This role allows me to apply my technical and operational background as well as my keen interest in all things IoT and digital transformation.
What inspired you to want to become an IWN Champion?
I am very interested in the current digital transformation of our world and the opportunities it potentially offers to improve many aspects of work and life. My recent move into the Intelligent Networks and Assets team at City West Water has exposed me directly to not only CWW’s digital journey but that of other utilities. My interest to utilise my skills and experience to be part of City West Water’s digital transformation lead to the natural extension of involvement within IWN.
What IWN program interests you the most?
There are two programs of particular interest:
Leak detection, condition assessment and infiltration: my interest is in the use of innovative design and emerging technologies in new in interesting ways to help solve old and new problems.
Energy optimisation and power: My electrical and operations background involving optimisation projects is a natural fit for this program.
What are you hoping to get out of the Champions program?
I am excited about the mentoring aspect of the Champions program and where this will take me personally and professionally through my time.
And if anything, what do you want to give back to IWN?
I would like be an effective conduit for the sharing of information, experience and learning between CWW and the other water utilities and help facilitate opportunities for further collaboration.