The collaboration nation: A successful day with Capgemini

Gemma Woods
UK Pavilion Lead at Anglian Water:

Collaboration can be challenging, but last week at our collaboration day it was a breeze. The UK Pavilion working group met in person inLondon for the first time, with the expert guidance and facilitation of Capgemini’s ASE team. The day was not only productive, but alsofun, dynamic, and creative – with unexpected activities that took me back to my nursery days… Oh hello Play-doh.

With just 73 days left before the UK Pavilion showcases its innovations on a global stage, the session was crucial for aligning everyoneand focusing on logistics and the high-level plan. It’s fulfilling to see stakeholders come together for a common goal, and I am gratefulto Capgemini for ensuring the success of today’s meeting.

“Toronto, here we come!”

I thought I would share some thoughts from some of my fellow collaborators:

Martin Crawford, Global Client Partner at Capgemini said:

“As one of the Sponsor reps today we found the Planning event really brought to life both what the Water Sector is trying to do inToronto but to also help us understand our roles as Partners/Suppliers in supporting the Sector collaboratively articulate how we areevolving with a Purpose that is aimed at significantly improving UK national critical water infrastructure. The Accelerated SolutionsEnvironment as Capgemini’s engine of collaboration, focused on the design and delivery of a dynamic, engaging experience. We trustwe fulfilled the role in helping enable teams and organisations attending to connect differently and productively work together toachieve transformative business ideas. We look forward to further supporting both pre August 24 but to also assist in the vision andjourney to Glasgow in 2026”.

Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water Group said:

“We are thrilled that Northumbrian Water is part of the UK Pavilion at the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congressin Toronto from August 8-11. On May 29th, we had an exciting face-to-face kick-off meeting in London, hosted by Capgemini ASE,where we began laying the groundwork for this pivotal event. This congress presents a unique opportunity to showcase the ground-breaking innovation within the UK water sector, focusing on climate adaptation, nature recovery, and building a resilient water future.Coming together under the UK Pavilion, we aim to strengthen our community and relationships, collaborate on creating a unifiedvision for the UK water industry, and empower our community with shared ownership of this vision.

Our kick-off meeting set the stage for identifying next steps for Toronto 2024 and thinking about what we can share and how we canmaximise this global opportunity. By undergoing interactive and fun exercises (with glue 😊) we forged new connections and madeexciting plans. This marks just the beginning, as we also look forward to continuing these connections through to the next congress inGlasgow in 2026. By working together, we will build a cohesive and dynamic representation of the UK water industry, driving forwardinnovation and resilience in water management. Together, we will forge a path towards a sustainable water future and create thejourney to Glasgow in 2026.”