Meaningful Conversations with Annyse
Meaningful Conversations with Annyse
Podcast Description
Meaningful Conversation is a heartfelt series of discussions led by Annyse Balkwill, featuring inspiring female leaders from the water industry and beyond.
With warmth and compassion, Annyse and her guests explore the possibilities for a future shaped by equity and inclusion, envisioning a world we want our sons and daughters to thrive in. Together, they delve into what our homes, systems, and organizations could look like if they genuinely valued and embraced women of all backgrounds.
By stepping into a space of imagination, these conversations allow us to pause, reflect, and uncover our true desires. In this creative state, we unlock the potential to envision—and ultimately create—a future that reflects the power of inclusion and possibility.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on equity, inclusion, and the future of women in leadership roles, with episodes that explore innovative ideas in the water industry, like the PFAS Management Company's approach to environmental challenges and personal stories of female leaders shaping inclusive systems.
Meaningful Conversation is a heartfelt series of discussions led by Annyse Balkwill, featuring inspiring female leaders from the water industry and beyond.With warmth and compassion, Annyse and her guests explore the possibilities for a future shaped by equity and inclusion, envisioning a world we want our sons and daughters to thrive in. Together, they delve into what our homes, systems, and organizations could look like if they genuinely valued and embraced women of all backgrounds.By stepping into a space of imagination, these conversations allow us to pause, reflect, and uncover our true desires. In this creative state, we unlock the potential to envision—and ultimately create—a future that reflects the power of inclusion and possibility.
In this episode of Meaningful Conversations, Annyse sits down with Dr Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water — a visionary leader with a PhD in physical chemistry and a passion for building cultures where innovation can truly thrive.
Angela chose the Bold card, and from that simple starting point, a rich conversation unfolded around regeneration, roots, diversity, and what it really takes to create lasting change in the water sector.
What We Explore in This Episode
Regeneration as a Leadership Philosophy
For Angela, regeneration is about strong roots and solid foundations. Without purpose and diversity, nothing sustainable grows. It’s about planting the right seeds now for a future we may not immediately see.
The Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival
Now approaching its 10th year, the festival has grown from six design sprints and 900 attendees to:
- 53 sprints
- 3,000+ participants
- 39 countries
- 45 sectors
One early sprint led to the creation of the UK’s National Underground Asset Register, now a government-run platform improving safety and saving billions. Proof that bold ideas, nurtured well, create real impact.
Innovation Is a Contact Sport
Angela shares why innovation must be done with people, not to people. From engaging senior leaders to empowering frontline teams, culture is everything.
With a central team of nine, they’ve built a network of over 200 Innovation Ambassadors across the organisation. Today, innovation is a core pillar at Northumbrian Water, with a measurable goal: 40% of employees actively involved.
Creating the Conditions for Innovation
- Compassionate leadership
- Family-first values
- A four-day working week
- Space for thinking and reflection
- Using AI to remove repetitive tasks
- Psychological safety to ask for help
Angela reminds us that tired, stressed humans struggle to innovate. Space and empathy are not soft extras — they are strategic necessities.
A Wiggly Career Path
From leaving school at 16 to earning a PhD, working at Procter & Gamble, launching a product still on shelves 26 years later, building a lifestyle business, and eventually finding her home in the water sector — Angela’s journey is a powerful reminder that careers don’t need to be linear to be impactful.
Key Themes
- Regenerative leadership
- Diversity as a driver of innovation
- Designing environments where bold ideas can grow
- Stewardship of water and natural systems
- Leaving organisations and people better than you found them
Show notes
- Northumbrian Water – Northumbrian Water | Supplying water and Sewerage Services in the North East of England
- Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival – The Festival
- Ofwat funding – Water innovation competitions – Ofwat
- Derek Siver, how to create a movement – Derek Sivers: How to start a movement | TED Talk
- National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) – National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), Northumbrian Water Group and a Culture of Innovation – Geospatial Insights
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