We have to make sure that we work together. Water is life-giving. So many people die every day because they don’t have access to safe drinking water. As water lovers — or whatever you want to call us — we have a great opportunity to shape that future. Yes, there are challenges. There’s loads of uncertainty at the moment. We live in a volatile world. But water is the most precious resource we have.“
In the latest episode of Distilled, host Will Sarni, CEO of Water Foundry, sits down with a new guest to discuss the impact of great customer relationships, smart water tech, people-led digital transformation, and what it takes to build a culture of innovation in a legacy industry — plus, the guest’s journey throughout the world of water.
Andy Smith, Head of Smart Water at Anglian Water, has over 40 years of experience in the water industry. He joined Will to share his journey through the water industry — from early hands-on roles to leading a multi-disciplinary team focused on delivering innovative, source-to-tap solutions. Will kicked off the conversation by asking Andy how he first got hooked on water.
Watch the full video episode below or keep reading for the write-up.
Andy on how he got hooked on water
Andy began his unexpected journey in the water industry over 40 years ago as a pen-and-ink draftsman. He hadn’t planned a career in water, but when he agreed to set up a drawing office for a sewer rehabilitation project in Cairo, that two-week stint stretched into two and a half years and sparked a lifelong passion.
He returned to the UK with a newfound curiosity, not just in fieldwork but in the value he could provide people through his work in the water sector. This curiosity and sense of purpose led him to Malaysia, India, and Lebanon — experiences he credits with shaping his personal and professional growth.
When you look at what we do, we provide public health services for people, and a crucial service that nobody can live without. And I think that that actually is our grounding at all times. You are so rewarded at the end of every week. I think that’s the point — you can directly link the work that you do to a purpose.“
He went on to work for Palmer Environmental Services, the company behind the first-ever leak noise correlator. This early exposure to leakage detection sparked an interest that would shape the next two decades of his career. From then on, Andy has immersed himself in leakage management and network optimization, always moved by the idea that water isn’t just a utility, but a critical public health service.
Andy on customer relationships and engagement
For Andy, the relationship between utility and customer isn’t just transactional but a partnership based on education, trust, and shared responsibility. Through initiatives like Keep It Clear and Drop 20, Anglian Water proactively engages with the communities it serves.
Andy explained how Keep It Clear addresses the surge in sewer blockages caused by so-called flushable wipes and other household waste. Rather than taking a punitive approach, the campaign focuses on raising awareness and helping people understand the impact of their actions on the wider network. Over time, this simple, proactive approach to communication has significantly reduced blockages.
There aren’t many industries in the world where people want people to use less of their product. But actually, we do. And this is about, yet again, that sustainability piece for us. Our resources are precious, and we need to treat them as if they are precious and have a different approach to that. It’s not just about asking customers to use less; it’s about changing how we engage with them continuously, not just when there’s a problem or a bill to pay.”
For Anglian Water, sustainability comes first. The region is officially water-stressed, and Andy highlighted the importance of treating water as the precious resource it is. They designed the Drop 20 campaign to encourage customers to reduce their water use by 20 liters per person per day.
Andy also sees the huge potential in using smart meters as a customer tool that helps them understand their water consumption. For Andy, it’s all part of breaking old patterns, where utilities only reached out when something went wrong or a bill arrived. Ultimately, he believes that customer engagement must be continuous, relevant, and two-way to make a difference.
Andy on scaling smart tech at Anglian Water
Andy explained that Anglian Water’s main digital investment strategy started with leakage — one of the UK’s most politically and publicly scrutinized issues — and has steadily evolved over the years.
Their early efforts focused on smart control valves and desktop-operated pressure adjustments, laying the foundation for deeper intelligence into how the water distribution system behaves.
Over time, Anglian scaled up its use of network-wide leakage sensors, shifting from reactive detection to a more targeted and proactive approach. Instead of relying on listening to stop taps in the street, these sensors now highlight specific areas of interest, dramatically improving efficiency and response.
We weren’t just looking at leakage, we were looking at burst main frequencies within our system and actually moving more towards being proactive than reactive. For me, being reactive is ultimately a failure of our asset. How do we actually get ahead of those failures and really understand the true root cause and then also provide a much more reliable service to our customers?”
More recently, Andy and his team have been leaning into the SWAN layers model, thinking in terms of how data is sensored, communicated, analyzed, managed, and visualized. For example, their use of enhanced pressure sensors, which were originally deployed to monitor coverage but have since revealed deeper insights, including how large consumers create pressure transients or where burst main frequencies are emerging.
Andy on digital transformation — and why it’s really about people
When asked about the evolution of digital transformation in the water industry, Andy sees it as an ongoing journey — not just of technology, but of mindset. Despite the advances, Andy still believes the most valuable form of communication is real human connection; he says it’s central to true collaboration and creative problem-solving.
Andy argued that digital tools, from hydraulic models to live data platforms, have long existed in the sector, but how they’re used is changing. He explained how Anglian Water is on the cusp of some exciting changes around bringing live data into several static platforms to drive different insights. He sees this as a major enabler for both operational effectiveness and long-term investment planning.
But he stressed that these tools only create impact when they’re designed with people in mind.
One of the first things we do is bring change managers in upfront to actually contextualize problems. Then we can deliver the solutions that people actually want. And instead of doing it to people, we’re doing it with people and the end users, because you have to have the end user in mind.”
He described how Anglian’s approach to technology deployment has shifted. In the past, tools were developed and handed over with the expectation that teams would simply adopt them. Now, digital transformation begins with the user. Andy emphasized that involving frontline teams early on leads to better outcomes, stronger adoption, and, in many cases, demand from within the business itself.
Over the past decade, he’s learned that successful innovation isn’t just about solving technical challenges but about understanding people’s needs, fears, and ways of working. That includes bringing in change managers from the start to shape solutions around real-world problems.
We’ve advanced technology. I’m not sure technology is advancing itself now. I still think it needs a human driver, and I still think it’s ultimately about purpose. It has to fulfill a purpose within your organization.”
He acknowledged that uncertainty can make change difficult, but believes people are far more open to transformation when they’re empowered to shape it themselves. He sees this people-first philosophy as the foundation of Anglian Water’s smart water strategy and the reason why digital initiatives are gaining such strong internal momentum.
Andy on Anglian Water’s partnership with Qatium
Anglian Water’s partnership with Qatium is rooted in one goal: putting actionable insights into the hands of the people on the ground. Andy described how frontline teams now have the visibility to understand what’s happening in the network and act on it.
Although they’re currently in the exciting phase of trying to get real-time data into the solution, they’ve already seen impressive results: a drastic reduction in the time taken for technicians to receive the information they need to progress with repairs to the network.
This is one of the most exciting things we’re currently working on, it’s a real game-changer in terms of enabling frontline people to see real-time information. The desire from our people on the ground for this product is really a groundswell.”
With a clearer view of how the network performs, technicians can collaborate more effectively with central teams, resulting in quicker responses, more accurate mitigations, and improved customer communication.
Andy on the future of water
Andy framed the future of water around a shared passion and a profound sense of purpose. He noted that, on a global level, billions still lack access to safe drinking water and dignified sanitation, an injustice the industry is obliged to address.
Through Anglian Water’s Beacon Project in Nepal, he said, the company is pioneering approaches to deliver on Sustainable Development Goal 6, demonstrating how utilities can drive lasting change in water-stressed regions.
Ultimately, Andy reminded us that water isn’t just another utility; it is life-giving. As he put it, while power and other resources matter, water forms the basis of every aspect of health and well-being. Ensuring its availability, quality, and equitable distribution, he concluded, is the defining challenge — and opportunity — of our time.
Interested in more Distilled content?
Hosted by Will Sarni, Distilled is a video podcast series that features water leaders from around the world. Each one-on-one conversation explores the guest’s unique career path, discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the water industry, and considers what’s next for water.
You can find the full catalog of episodes here.
