UKWIR appoints executive pairing to deliver Centre of Excellence

Published On 17/08/2021

In July, UKWIR welcomed Shaunna Berendsen and Carly Perry as Client Programme Director and Consultant Executive Lead respectively, to deliver the first iteration of the Innovation Centre of Excellence (CoE) after it was awarded £250,000 from Ofwat’s Innovation Fund, matched by the industry through UKWIR.

Shaunna joined from Anglian Water where she led the innovation engagement team with responsibility for sustaining supplier engagement and driving innovation culture. She is also a sustainability ambassador for the Major Projects Association.

Carly leads the water consultancy team at SIA partners, holds a Board position with Future Water, led the sector’s Open Data programme and has close to 15 years’ experience managing complex programmes across the water sector. 

UKWIR CEO Steve Kaye said, “Shaunna and Carly bring a wealth of experience and complementary skills with them, giving the CoE the strong foundations it – and the sector – needs”.

The CoE will generally focus on nearer to market innovation to complement UKWIR’s research focus”. 

Establishing the key principles of the CoE is planned for September, alongside an unveiling of its brand and name – which will be informed by stakeholders’ votes and suggestions.