SA Water makes its interim CIO permanent

SA Water has named Bill Le Blanc as its permanent chief information officer (CIO) and general manager of technology, after six months of working in an interim capacity.

Bill Le Blanc
Supplied

Le Blanc replaces Elise Vervetjes, who vacated the role back in January after nearly three-and-a-half years.

He will lead SA Water's technology strategy, digital transformation and cyber security functions, and focus on supporting reliable service delivery and long-term business performance, the utlity said.

Additionally, Le Blanc is set to oversee the replacement of key operational technology systems that monitor and manage SA Water's network of water and wastewater assets.

He will also lead adoption of artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on deriving value from the technology.

In a statement, Le Blanc said that technology "plays a critical role in maintaining the reliability and resilience of essential services."

“As a critical infrastructure provider, we need systems that are secure, available and fit for purpose," he said.

Under his predecessor, SA Water previously embarked on a "once-in-a-generation" core technology uplift transformation program for modernisation.

The Core Systems Capability Transformation (CSCT) program is a six-year project that will focus on replacing or “significantly upgrading” several ageing systems, the utility said.

Prior to joining SA Water, Le Blanc was the library and IT CIO at the University of South Australia for just over two-and-a-half years, and the head of technology at ElectraNet in Adelaide.

He also previously served as SA Health's executive director and CIO for over 11 years.