Qatium
Working in the water utility is a highly stressed job. Oftentimes, it is not understood but the only time you get a conversation about water is either when you have quality alarms, issues — then the public goes awry — or when you have quantity issues, when there’s really little or no water. So, you can actually appreciate the stress that we are enduring now at NWC because we’re going into our ninth month of drought.
In this latest episode of Distilled, host Will Sarni, CEO of Water Foundry, delves into the background and career path of a new guest to discover their career origins in the water sector, before discussing growth and challenges, digital technologies, and sources of innovative inspiration.
Mark Barnett, President and CEO of the National Water Commission (NWC) in Jamaica, joined Will to explore his journey in the world of water. Kicking off the discussion, Will began by asking Mark what led him to pursue a career in the water industry.
Watch the full video episode below or keep reading for the write-up.
Mark’s journey into the world of water
Mark believes that it was sheer chance that led him to his role in the water sector. After gaining a diploma in chemical technology and starting his career in the industry, Mark went on to Trinidad St Augustine to begin his engineering degree — which he completed in just two years.
Shortly thereafter, he arrived in Jamaica and worked with the National Environmental Protection Agency for six months, and then accepted a job at the NWC as a wastewater engineer in 1996.
After working for two years in this role, he moved to another location, and then successfully applied to study for a waterways engineering degree at the University of Loughborough in the U.K.. However, he wanted to prove to the company that he was worthy of the investment, and, in a bold move, he declined the academic pursuit and instead spent three months in Japan working on water and sewage drainage systems.
Finally, he was once again accepted at Loughborough in 2002, where he completed his master’s degree.
Mark has been working at the NWC for 27 years, and has no regrets about working in between his studies — he believes this path has provided him with the invaluable experience essential to his professional journey.
Mark on NWC’s growth and challenges associated with delivering their products and services
After highlighting the NWC’s progressive and transparent nature — the website even provides information on drought and water levels and promotes a two-way conversation with customers — Will asked Mark to comment on the challenges associated with NWC’s growing connectivity infrastructure and delivering their products and services.
Mark explained that they are trying to replace an exhausted grid while contending with an expanding footprint and customer base, fueled by the proliferation of residential developments across the island.
He said that while there are some joint venture arrangements with government institutions, it is the private sector that is predominantly driving the demand in terms of the new developments on the island.
Mark on digital technologies and NWC’s business strategy
Will then went on to ask Mark about how digital technologies factor into NWC’s business strategy, growth, and ability to deliver products and services to both the private sector and residential demand.
Mark’s first comment was that he believes they are too slow to adapt to technology, but that they see it as an integral part of their ability to remain efficient and deliver quality services. He said that a big challenge for them lies in the low level of resources available to them to invest in technologies that can help them advance more rapidly.
Right now, he said that the NWC’s involvement in digital technologies is very incremental. However, they have replaced mechanical meters with solid-state meters to help alert their customers to any issues and reduce the amount of call-outs.
He went on to explain that the NWC is close to completing a technology review that will help them direct their investments and resources, and is committed to embracing a technology intervention.
We believe [that] management of our facilities is key as it relates to technology intervention. And for that, we have looked at and just about completed an overall technology review of the organization with the intent of getting to know a transformation footprint, giving us some guidance as to where we’re going next.
They have also created a customer-centric mobile app through which they can pay bills, report leaks, and take photographs to document any water-related issues, streamlining the communication process between customers and the NWC.
Additionally, they’re looking to add electronic vehicles to their fleet as a means of transitioning to renewable transport. Mark said that as a water utility, which is the single largest consumer of electricity in the locality, this is a very important part of their plan to reduce their carbon footprint.
Mark on the NWC’s sources of innovative inspiration
Will’s last question was on the topic of who and where the NWC looks to for innovative inspiration. Mark said that they look to both peers and vendors, referencing the innovation in Israel and the Digital Twin team in Spain.
He also said that he’s looking at possible partnerships to see how he can bring about greater visibility, and, that based on the utility’s limited resources, NWC wants to adopt tried-and-tested strategies and technologies.
I want technology to help me make that decision because I believe there are fewer errors. You know, we need the human being, but technology can allow us to have fewer errors in our system. And so it gives us better management, and decision-making is much more seamless in my view.
Finally, Mark explained that NWC is seen as a leader in the water space in the Caribbean, and has invited teams and regional utility operatives from the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic to share their experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned. He said that this type of open relationship, whereby they encourage and help one another, helps them to develop cohesive partnerships within the region.
Interested in more Distilled content?
Hosted by Water Foundry CEO 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’ll find more episodes here.
