Future Water Association’s members, partners and colleagues gathered last week to mark four decades of collaboration, innovation and influence – and to recognise great talent in the water sector.

The Association's story began in July 1986, when a group of suppliers met in Coventry to discuss forming a body to represent the water supply chain as privatisation loomed. The Society of British Water Industries (SBWI) launched that November. It became SBWWI in 2001 as wastewater joined its remit, and Future Water Association in 2015. From the 32 companies who gathered at the start, it now counts more than 125 members from right across the supply chain.

Paul Horton, Chief Executive of Future Water Association, said:

“Forty years ago, our founders came together because the supply chain needed a collective voice in an era of uncertainty. Reaching this milestone in 2026 - at a time of major regulatory, environmental and operational change - shows just how enduring that purpose is.”

It is the Association’s partners and members who have supported that purpose throughout. Their expertise has powered the working groups, conferences and consultations that give the Association its collective voice. The Water Dragons innovation competition, which has run for 18 years, has welcomed nearly 400 innovations and been a springboard for getting innovation in front of the right people.

“Future Water has never been about standing still.” Paul added. “It has been about informing, innovating, influencing and bringing people together to move the sector forward. I am hugely grateful to the members, chairs, partners and colleagues – past and present – who have helped shape the Association's direction over that time.”

Among those is AVK UK, one of the Association's founding members and a partner of the anniversary event. Martin Greenhalgh, Managing Director, AVK UK, said:

“The Future Water Association has consistently provided a valuable platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and industry engagement. For AVK, one of the greatest benefits of membership is the opportunity to work alongside organisations that share a common goal of delivering resilient, sustainable and efficient water infrastructure and solutions.”

Future Water Chair, Mark Smith, opened the 40th Anniversary and Awards evening by reflecting on the Association's consistency of purpose. He noted that throughout its history, Future Water has kept a core focus on three things: asset health, resilience and future-proofing – priorities he said remain as relevant today, amid regulatory and environmental change, as they were when the Association was founded.

Guests also heard from Team Nautilus, who rowed 2,000 miles around the UK coast earlier this year while collecting water quality data. Not only did they collect vital information about micropollutants, temperature, salinity, acoustics, but they also picked up Guinness World Records for: fastest unsupported row around the British mainland by a mixed crew of six as well as youngest woman to row around the British Mainland.

The 2026 awards recognised the people and organisations shaping the sector's future. Winners were Groundbreaker Systems (Water Dragons 25/26); Tanisha Bisla, Anglian Water (Emerging Talent); James Chapman, Xylem (People); Elsa Germain, Arup (Above and Beyond); Stuart Mobbs, Hydrosave (Lifetime); and the Environment Agency's beaver reintroduction programme (Future Water Award).

Highly Commended were Daphne Water Solutions and BioLargo (Water Dragons); Harriet Dingle, WRc, and Eleanor Pendle, Waterscan (Emerging Talent); Eoghan Kilroy, Wessex Water, and Dave Miller, Cleaner Seas Group (People); Neil Sewell, SDS Infrastructure (Above and Beyond); and Team Nautilus (Future Water Award).

Paul Horton continued:

"At the heart of everything that happens in the water sector are people. Reaching this milestone - and these awards - is the result of a group of people coming together to make a real impact. A huge congratulations to everyone."