Simon Bunn: A founding Pillar of the SWAN Forum

The SWAN forum, which has been unlocking the potential of digital transformation in the water industry for 15 years, was established in 2010 by six professionals from various fields of smart water technology. These included Marc Bracken from Echologics (now at Solinas Technologies), Andrew Burrows from i2O Water (now at PA Consulting), Amir Peleg from TaKaDu, Manuel Parra from Telvent GIT (now Schneider) and our colleague, Simon Bunn from Derceto, which was bought by SUEZ.

Amir Peleg recalled its formation, stating, "The markets were vast, the utilities were risk-averse, conservative, and slow-moving, and we needed to assist each other in creating and educating the market on the possibilities. We agreed to collaborate, and each company had contributed a small amount of money, and we registered SWAN as a non-profit organization in the UK."

Over the years, SWAN has adapted to industry trends and now has over 300 member organisations globally. The forum continues to foster collaboration and innovation among thought leaders in the water sector. The organisation also plays a crucial role in demystifying smart water concepts and providing valuable resources to its members.

Defining a smart water network as ‘a fully integrated set of data-driven components and solutions which allow water utilities to optimise all aspects of their water distribution, wastewater collection, and treatment system’, the forum also recognised the importance of the human element in smart water, from how operators interact and engage with technological solutions as well as ensuring data transparency for customers.

Our SUEZ colleague, Simon Bunn, has over 35 years of experience in control systems engineering and a significant figure in the field. His expertise covered PLC programming, SCADA systems, database systems, and broader ICT/IoT and Technology matters. His contributions to engineering publications and international conferences over the years had been invaluable. In 2000, Simon's experience had led him to design the complex software at the core of the SUEZ Aquadvanced® Water Supply Software (formerly Derceto Aquadapt), the world's first commercially available real-time large scale pump scheduling optimiser. This accomplishment had earned him the title of New Zealand's Engineering Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005. Simon's international knowledge, particularly in cloud hosting, cybersecurity, data collection and management, communications systems, performance monitoring, control systems, and operations optimisation, has significantly influenced the Aquadvanced®Water Supply software's roadmap.

Simon's vision for 'smart digitalisation' was instrumental in establishing SWAN. He recognised the need for a forum to display and share global advancements in the industry. Simon was always an global advocate for the smart water sector. His input into the SWAN Interactive Tool, particularly the Energy Management solution, was crucial. He served on the SWAN Leadership Council from its inception until 2018.

Despite the industry's initial cautious approach, Simon's belief in the potential of digitalisation has been validated by the ongoing digital revolution, driven by rapid changes in energy costs, environmental needs, and water scarcity. This drive for collaboration and excellence has enabled SWAN to bring benefits to the water sector and allowed utilities worldwide to benefit collectively.

Reflecting on SWAN's history, Simon noted, "There were maybe 40+ people at the first conference in Paris in May 2011, many of which were suppliers and the rest innovative customers – and everyone enjoyed it. We’ve come a long way since then.” Indeed, SWAN had come a long way; now a global organisation with chapters in the USA and Asia/Pacific and India.

Amir Cahn, SWAN CEO, commented, "Simon has helped shape SWAN into what it is. Besides his strategic feedback, I really enjoyed engaging with him at our different in-person events and especially remember bonding with him at our Annual Conference in Madrid back in 2014 over some tapas."

Matt Gordon, UK Head of Smart Water at SUEZ, is pleased that Simon was being recognised in this way. He had said, "What sets Simon apart is his ability to contribute value not only as a strategic thinker at a high level but also by delving into the intricate details, getting into the nitty-gritty and fixing problems."

In recognition of his contributions, Simon and his fellow founders were presented with special recognition awards during the 15th SWAN Annual Conference on May 28th in Berlin. This honour is testament to Simon's enduring impact on the SWAN Forum.

SUEZ, and Optimatics remain active participants of the SWAN Forum. To find out more about SWAN, go to https://swan-forum.com/.