Meet Stuart Craven from our Executive Group

From working as a private investigator to monitoring crocodiles in Queensland, Stuart Craven has been a man of many jobs. Luckily for us, he’s stuck with the Victorian water industry for almost two decades. Here’s a Q&A with one of our founding members.

LET’S START WITH THE PERSONAL - TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m Melbourne born and bred. My partner and I have two adult children. I enjoy camping and bushwalking, although I haven’t done much of that in the last four years with my kids doing VCE and the impacts of the pandemic. However, we have a trip up the Birdsville Track and into the Simpson Desert planned for the middle of this year.

My biggest personal achievement would have to be my role in the approval of some of Victoria’s biggest water projects – Goldfields Superpipe, North-South Pipeline and the Gippsland Water Factory.

WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

It’s a bit of a mixed bag. After finishing university, I had a stint working as a storeman followed by a couple of years as a private investigator. I then moved to Townsville where I worked with National Parks undertaking sea turtle and crocodile monitoring and research before moving into the wetlands team.

Next up was a job with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). With AQIS I transferred back to Melbourne and had a couple of years working on the Melbourne docks. I then got a job in the Coastal Branch of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in a governance role for the Victorian local ports network.

In 2004, I landed a job in the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Water Group (now DELWP), and that’s where I’ve stayed.

WHEN DID YOU JOIN OUR EXECUTIVE GROUP?

I’ve been with IWN since it began and became an Executive Group member around 2011.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE UP THE ROLE?

In 2009, I managed DELWP’s Water Efficiency Team. One of our team members was paying close attention to the smart meter roll out and saw the potential they offered the water sector so we did a cost-benefit analysis of them. When discussing the outcomes of that analysis with several water corporations, it became clear that there were emerging technology opportunities across the entire water network. This led to us forming the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) program.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR HIGHLIGHTS WITH IWN SO FAR

Whilst the programs and projects that occur within IWN are fantastic, the real highlight for me has been the growth in collaboration between the water corporations and the networks that have been formed within the industry.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ANYONE CONSIDERING AN IWN ROLE?

That’s easy, go for it. Talk to any current IWN member to find out how you can get involved.

WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?

I think Victoria’s water industry is world class and a great place to work. Knowing that I am part of it gets me out of bed in the morning.