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Sweco UK
The ripple effect: How collaborative consultancy will help transform the water industry
In consultancy today, success depends on more than technical excellence – it depends on teamwork. Within the Anglian Water @one Alliance, Sweco has seen first-hand how working as one can unlock innovation, resilience and sustainability across the water industry.
We spoke to Lindsey Russell, Sweco UK’s Water Director, and Dodie Honisett, Sweco’s Project Manager within the @one Alliance, about what the ripple effect of concerted collaboration looks like in practice – and why it’s more important than ever.
Anglian Water’s @one Alliance shows what can be achieved when collaboration is built into the framework – but its principles apply far beyond. Any organisation can adopt a collaborative mindset: it starts with purpose, trust, and the will to work as one.
Lindsey Russell, Sweco UK Water & Asset Management Division Manager
Q: Why is collaboration so important in consultancy today?
Lindsey: The water sector itself is undergoing a massive transformation – possibly on a scale we’ll never see again – and that brings both challenge and opportunity. No single organisation has all the answers anymore. The real value lies in how we come together across disciplines and organisations, combining expertise and insight to deliver better outcomes for customers, society and the environment.
At Sweco, our purpose is Transforming society together, and that word – together – is key. Collaboration isn’t just part of what we do in terms of ‘business as usual’ problem-solving, it’s how we make transformation happen at scale.
Q: How does the @one Alliance demonstrate that collaborative approach?
Dodie: The @one Alliance is a true partnership between Anglian Water and its delivery partners – including Sweco – built on trust, innovation, and shared goals. From the outset, it’s been about moving away from traditional client–contractor models and instead working as one team.
As an Alliance, we’re all involved from concept through to completion, which means we can influence every stage of a project. That’s where collaboration really adds value: we’re co-creating, not just consulting.
Our strength lies in the integration and collaboration of our team — a true alliance where expertise meets maturity. This stability, rooted in our technical abilities and experience, provides a strong platform to drive innovation and to educate partners and stakeholders, especially in advancing nature-based solutions.
Dodie Honisett, Project Manager for Sweco within the @one Alliance
Q: What makes collaboration effective – what’s needed for it to work?
Lindsey: It starts with culture. You need an open, honest environment where people feel empowered to challenge, innovate, and share ideas. In @one, there’s a clarity of purpose – everyone is aligned around a common goal of delivering environmental and social prosperity to the region.
And it’s not just about talking the talk – it’s about structuring for success. Shared incentives, integrated teams, joint KPI measures. That’s how you get true partnership rather than just co-operation.
Q: How does collaboration lead to better outcomes for projects and communities?
Dodie: It allows us to blend our collective strengths. By combining engineering, digital tools and nature-based solutions, we can deliver infrastructure that’s efficient, resilient and better for the planet.
Take our Catchment Pathfinder initiatives, where we’ve merged engineering expertise with nature-based design to improve water quality and biodiversity while reducing carbon. That’s the kind of outcome that only happens when everyone around the table is openly and willingly contributing their best thinking for the cause.
As we venture into AMP8, we recognise that it will come with its own set of unique challenges. At Sweco, we firmly believe that the key to overcoming these challenges lies in collaboration across the industry and building long-term relationships.
Lindsey Russell, Sweco UK Water & Asset Management Division Manager
Q: Looking ahead to AMP8, how will collaboration continue to evolve?
Lindsey: I’m proud that we’ve already helped the Alliance innovate, build trust, and do the right thing throughout previous AMPs – all while aligning with Anglian’s ethos of ‘always exploring’ new ways to deliver better outcomes for people AND the planet.
AMP8 will bring its own set of unique challenges – tighter targets, new technologies, and growing climate pressures. But we see it as an opportunity.
We’ll be focusing on expanding low-carbon and nature-based solutions, accelerating digital and AI-driven delivery, and growing our global design community to share innovation across borders. Collaboration will be at the heart of all of that.
Collaborative consultancy beyond formal alliances
While ideal, a formal alliance is not always needed in order to benefit from a collaborative approach. The principles that make the @one Alliance successful can be embedded in any project or partnership – it’s about mindset and behaviours, not just governance structures.
1. Establish a shared purpose early
Align everyone around clear outcomes for customers, communities, and the environment before the first design is drawn.
2. Build trust through transparency
Openly share information on cost, risk, schedule, and carbon. Transparency shifts the focus from protectionism to problem-solving.
3. Integrate teams wherever possible
Co-located or digitally integrated teams create shared ownership of results. Mixed groups of engineers, contractors, and client representatives strengthen collaboration.
4. Incentivise joint success
Even without a formal alliance, shared KPIs for efficiency, carbon, innovation, and customer outcomes keep everyone pulling in the same direction.
5. Foster curiosity and respect
Encourage challenge, creativity, and cross-disciplinary thinking. Collaboration thrives when every voice is heard and the best ideas win.
6. Use digital tools to connect and coordinate
Shared data environments, digital twins, and project dashboards allow seamless collaboration across organisations and geographies.
7. Lead by example
Collaboration starts at the top. When leadership models openness and shared accountability, it becomes cultural rather than contractual.
Let’s talk collaboration
Even if you don’t work within a formal framework or a structured alliance like Anglian Water’s @one, collaboration is vital to the water industry going forward. At Sweco, teamwork, systems thinking, and joined-up project management are embedded in our DNA.
Our water consultants can help organisations and project teams adopt these collaborative principles to deliver resilient, low-carbon infrastructure that benefits communities, the environment, and the sector as a whole. Get in touch to discuss how we can overcome your next challenge, together.
Explore Sweco’s water expertise at https://www.sweco.co.uk/services/water-energy-industry/water-consultancy/
More about the Anglian Water @one Alliance: https://www.sweco.co.uk/services/water-energy-industry/water-consultancy/anglian-one-alliance/
