BIP UK attends the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival
Professional services group BIP has attended the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival, leading a sprint promoting the harnessing of GenAI for wastewater treatment. The firm also showcased how digital innovation can transform wastewater operations for a more sustainable future.
Northumbrian Water is a water company in Britain, providing mains water and sewerage services in the English counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, while also supplying water as Essex and Suffolk Water. Each year, the group hosts an Innovation Festival, where it looks at a range of challenges currently facing its business, as well as broader environmental issues impacting the wider water industry and the communities its customers reside in.
With water companies across the country come under fire for their heightened prices and ecological impact – to the extent that water regulator Ofwat has been discontinued for its lack of action – the 2025 festival saw consultants from the UK wing of BIP hosting "ChemDo: Harnessing GenAI for Smarter Wastewater Treatment", a hands-on Sprint focused on one of the sector’s most complex and pressing issues.
BIP collaborated with experts from across the sector to explore how generative AI can be applied to improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and empower frontline teams. Sprint leads Lee Knowles and Karl Stavers from Northumbrian Water guided the week, supported by a strong team from across the organisation including Nigel Watson, Angela MacOscar, Judith Rutherford, Natasha Milburn, and Sam Proctor.
AI sprint
The ChemDo sprint attracted strong engagement from the outset. Framed around the challenge of optimising chemical dosing in wastewater treatment, participants began by mapping the existing landscape; from systems, data, human interventions, and the pain points that often hinder progress. Led by Katherine Phipps, day one set the tone with a user-centred lens and clear goals, before diving into technical discussions and idea generation.
While the oversized ‘Spin the Wheel’ added some fun to the BIP UK stand, the sprint tent was the depth of discussion around AI, smart infrastructure, and digital transformation that made BIP UK a destination for meaningful exchange. Gabriele Oliva brought fresh energy with a powerful session on AI capabilities, prompting the team to imagine bolder ways of automating monitoring, chemical dosing, and early warnings.
Midweek saw a shift from exploration to creation. Under the guidance of Steven Gowland and Matt Penton, the team began prototyping tangible solutions, designing user interfaces, and shaping data models to support smarter decision-making. The sprint split into two focused working groups; one developing the technology roadmap, and the other building the business case and stakeholder plan. Emily Seymour played a key role in sharpening the business value proposition and ensuring alignment with Northumbrian Water’s wider strategy.
According to the firm, another highlight of the week was the Women in STEM networking event, where Alison Dickson, a partner for BIP’s UK energy and utilities team, joined the voices from across the sector.
“It was a fantastic session, full of energy, honesty, and inspiration,” said Dickson. “The NWG team went all out with a 1960s chemistry classroom theme, complete with aprons and experiments! The panel shared real experiences around unconscious bias, and Haley Monks introduced us to the book Multipliers, which we’ll definitely be reading. It was a great reminder of the importance of championing women in the workplace and ensuring inclusive leadership at every level.”
Throughout the week, creativity, humour, and energy kept the momentum high. From “Rock, Paper, Scissors” warmups to impromptu challenges and evening networking events, the sprint never lost sight of its purpose; to co-create real, workable solutions. Gabriele Oliva from BP, and Jamal Hamid from Hach even took on a hands-on water connection challenge, completing the task in just 4 minutes and 52 seconds, cheered on by the BIP team.
Wrapping up
BIP UK continues to support water companies in their transition toward smarter, greener, and more resilient operations. Combining strategic insight with deep technical delivery, the firm helps utilities unlock innovation and create long-term, sustainable value.
As the sprint wrapped up, participants finalised their prototypes, defined clear benefits, and prepared to present to Northumbrian Water’s senior innovation panel. The ChemDo sprint showcased not just the power of GenAI, but the power of cross-functional collaboration and bold thinking in tackling the water sector’s most complex challenges.
Mattia Auteri, a UK-based BIP partner, commented, “Our involvement in the Innovation Festival was a strong opportunity to demonstrate BIP’s capabilities within the water industry. The ChemDo sprint exemplified how we bring together strategic insight, cutting-edge technology, and collaborative spirit to solve critical industry challenges. It was energising to see our team’s impact and the real potential for AI to drive positive change in water operations.”
Also attending from BIP Italy were Giacomo Rocchi and Silvano Simoni, subject matter experts in water, whose technical depth and international perspective added valuable dimension to the sprint discussions and solution development.
