SAPinsider Technology Executive Forum Issue 1 2021

M ike Potter, Digital Transformation D i r e c t o r o f Thame s Wa t e r, describes SAP, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Salesforce as d ragons. But the business technology leader is not pouring water on the fire breathed by these giants of enterprise computing — he considers his partnerships with SAP, Salesforce, and Microsoft as a powerhouse helping to modern- ize the largest fresh water and waste-water services company in the United Kingdom (UK). As the supplier of 2.6 billion liters of water per day to the UK’s capital and the counties that surround London, Thames Water not only has to sate the thirst of one of Europe’s largest conurbations; the busi- ness is also dealing with the challenges of climate change. London and the UK’s southeast region make up the driest areas of the country. This is having an impact on the famous River Thames from which the firm takes its name, and the catchment area Thames Water draws water from. “There is a huge global focus on carbon emissions and a key impact of climate change is water scarcity — sustaining water is something that we cannot take for granted,” Potter says. He has been at Thames Water since 2019, joining as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) before taking on the digital remit in 2020. “It is an incredible time to be in an organization like this and adapt it and look at the long term.” Platform Approach Ensures Innovation Flows The United Kingdom's largest water utility services provider opts for platform technologies to digitize water By Mark Chillingworth, Contributing Writer, SAPinsider According to Potter, the water works network is 80 years old and dates back to Bazalgette. The sewage systems were designed in the 1800s by the renowned engineer Joseph Bazalgette, whose archi- tecturally delightful buildings make vital infra- structure such as water pumping houses look like grand train stations. The network put in place in the 1800s was a masterpiece in design, but the world, and in particular the south of the UK, has changed dramatically since then. With major population growth and now climate change, Thames Water has had to modify its infrastructure to deal with the new challenges faced by the sector, and as an aging network, maintenance is a constant demand on the business. “We have to reduce water consumption by helping customers use less and with a relentless focus on reducing leakage. We are also looking into how we can reduce the amount of water we take from the environment by paying close attention to how we treat the water that we return to rivers, and how we return treated water back to the water supply.” Potter says that there are many opportunities for innovation, and not only in digital technology, but across the organization. This is why his role changed during 2020 from CTO to Digital Transformation Director, as the technology platforms in use at Thames Water play a vital role in ensuring business- wide change flows through the organization. 32