New GM’s global experience a boon for SA Water

SA Water has appointed experienced utility leader John Penicud as its new General Manager of Operations and Maintenance, strengthening the organisation’s operational leadership at a time of growth.

Mr Penicud joins SA Water from the United Kingdom where he has spent his career working across water and energy utilities in senior operational and leadership roles.

Most recently, he was Managing Director of Wastewater at Southern Water, one of the UK’s largest water utilities, providing services to about 4.7 million customers across the south coast of England.

SA Water Chief Executive David Ryan said John’s appointment reflects a continued priority to provide safe, reliable and sustainable water services to South Australians.

“John brings deep operational experience from large and complex utility environments, along with a strong focus on safety, people and environmental outcomes,” Mr Ryan said.

“His leadership will support our teams as we continue to operate and maintain infrastructure that is essential to communities across a vast and diverse state.”

In his role at Southern Water, Mr Penicud was responsible for the performance of more than 300 wastewater treatment plants, managing the reuse of around 1.4 billion litres of wastewater every day.

His responsibilities spanned operations, maintenance, long-term planning and major investment programs focused on improving environmental outcomes and supporting population growth.

He led large teams across operations, maintenance, engineering, science and capital delivery, supported by a significant contractor workforce.

Safety and culture are central to Mr Penicud’s leadership approach, alongside a strong focus on frontline capability and continuous improvement.

“An uncompromising approach to health and safety should always be, in my view, fundamental to leading teams of any size,” Mr Penicud said.

“Clearly safety is a central focus, ensuring we do the right job means that it must be done safely and there cannot be compromise on this.”

Mr Penicud also brings experience leading large transformation programs, contract reform and efficiency initiatives, improving reliability, safety and customer outcomes while maintaining focus on good environmental management.

Commenting on his move to South Australia, Mr Penicud said the scale and diversity of SA Water’s operations, combined with the state’s unique water challenges, were a strong drawcard.

“I am fascinated by the challenge of supporting infrastructure to such a large, diverse area, at a time of growth and expansion,” he said.

“South Australia is considerably drier than the UK, so also of particular interest is the opportunity to oversee the desalination plants and water reuse schemes.”

Looking ahead to his new role, Mr Penicud said his early priorities would be learning more about South Australia and working closely with teams across SA Water.

“My priorities in SA Water are to understand the land and heritage of the state and how this has then shaped the evolution of the infrastructure to support it,” he said.

“In addition, I’m looking forward to seeing the teams work together to build and operate this essential critical infrastructure that is key to life.”

Mr Penicud commence with SA Water on 29 June.