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Water Leadership Event

Water Leaders across Australia were recently recognised at the Water Leadership Awards

Two outstanding Australian water leaders have been recognised at the inaugural International WaterCentre (IWC) Water Leadership Alumni Event on Thursday 23 November. Ciara Sterling (Yarra Valley Water) and Phillip Rudd (Goldenfields Water County Council) received the two awards during the IWC Water Leadership Program Alumni Dinner attended by 50 industry leaders from the Victorian water sector and IWC Water Leadership Program Alumni at the Langham in Melbourne.

The awards were hosted by the IWC in partnership with Liveability Victoria International, the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the Water Services Association of Australia and Clearwater.

Ciara Sterling, Yarra Valley Water Head of Community Inclusion and Head of the Thriving Communities Partnership, was awarded The Water Services Association of Australia Award for Distinguished Leadership by an Australian Water Leader. Ciara developed and implemented Yarra Valley Water’s industry-led program WaterCare and was a driving force behind the creation of the not-for-profit Thriving Communities Partnership, an innovative, large-scale, cross-sectoral partnership organisation that aims to ensure that ‘everybody has fair access to the modern essential services they need to thrive in contemporary Australia.’

Phillip Rudd, Goldenfields Water County Council General Manager, was awarded The Liveability Victoria International and the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Award for Distinguished Leadership by a Graduate of the IWC Water Leadership Program. Over the last two years Phillip has taken on new leadership roles and used tools from the leadership program to deliver tangible leadership outcomes across the ‘triple bottom line’ in often challenging circumstances.

In addition to the leadership awards, the two-day event included a workshop co-facilitated by Clearwater and the IWC for Victoria-based WLP Alumni on Advancing Integrated Water Management in Victoria. The workshop attracted water leaders from across Victoria and has led to the commitment from all parties to initiate the Victorian Water Leaders' Community of Practice. The group aims to harness the diverse skills and experience from its members to deliver a series of projects that support the adoption of Integrated Water Management across the state.