For smart metering to succeed, water companies need diverse perspectives that look beyond AMP8
By Tanya Dady, Smart Solutions Design Partner at Horizon Water Infrastructure
Smart metering is one of the most important infrastructure opportunities facing the water sector in AMP8. But its success won’t be defined by installation numbers alone.
Water companies are under pressure to mobilise quickly, meet regulatory expectations and deliver better outcomes for customers. That makes rollout pace important. But smart metering is not just an AMP8 project. It is a 15–20 year infrastructure decision that will shape leakage reduction, demand management, customer engagement and operational performance long after the current cycle ends.
Getting that right requires more than technology. It requires teams with the judgement, experience and diversity of perspective to design programmes that work in the real world.
At Horizon Water Infrastructure, we see smart metering as a long-term performance programme, not a short-term deployment exercise. That means bringing together technical, commercial, operational and customer expertise from the outset. It necessitates creating space for women to lead in areas that have historically been seen as male-dominated: infrastructure delivery, asset strategy, procurement, data, finance and programme design.
By Tanya Dady, Smart Solutions Design Partner at Horizon Water Infrastructure
Smart metering is one of the most important infrastructure opportunities facing the water sector in AMP8. But its success won’t be defined by installation numbers alone.
Water companies are under pressure to mobilise quickly, meet regulatory expectations and deliver better outcomes for customers. That makes rollout pace important. But smart metering is not just an AMP8 project. It is a 15–20 year infrastructure decision that will shape leakage reduction, demand management, customer engagement and operational performance long after the current cycle ends.
Getting that right requires more than technology. It requires teams with the judgement, experience and diversity of perspective to design programmes that work in the real world.
At Horizon Water Infrastructure, we see smart metering as a long-term performance programme, not a short-term deployment exercise. That means bringing together technical, commercial, operational and customer expertise from the outset. It necessitates creating space for women to lead in areas that have historically been seen as male-dominated: infrastructure delivery, asset strategy, procurement, data, finance and programme design.
The strongest smart metering programmes are built on collaboration. Technology selection, communications strategy, operating models, supplier structures and data integration all need to be considered together. Decisions made early in AMP8 will be difficult to unwind once meters are deployed at scale, so the sector needs leadership teams that can challenge assumptions, anticipate risks and connect delivery decisions to long-term outcomes.
That is why representation matters. Women in utilities should not only be visible in support functions or engagement roles. They should be shaping the technical and strategic decisions that determine how infrastructure performs for decades.
Practically, this means investing in inclusive project teams, supporting women into senior delivery and design roles, and giving emerging leaders access to complex, commercially significant programmes. It also means valuing the skills that modern infrastructure delivery depends on: stakeholder alignment, systems thinking, customer understanding and long-term risk management.
Smart water meters only create value when data becomes operational. Installation alone will not reduce leakage or improve demand management. Data must flow into systems, inform decisions quickly and support measurable outcomes. That requires coordination across procurement, operations, finance, customer teams and field delivery – exactly the kind of cross-functional environment where diverse leadership can strengthen performance.
Looking ahead, policies for women in utilities must move beyond participation targets alone. Our focus is on progression, visibility and influence: who leads major programmes, who owns technical decisions, and who is represented when long-term investment choices are made.
AMP8 should be seen as mobilisation, not the finish line. The meters installed today will remain in service well into AMP9 and beyond. For smart metering to succeed, water companies need to look beyond AMP8 – and build diverse teams capable of delivering lasting outcomes.