The IAM Eastern Branch is hosting its first event after its relaunch in 2025!  

The event is on Tuesday 8^th July, starting at 17.30 (BST) and is being hosted by Cambridge University at the Institute of Manufacturing campus on the outskirts of Cambridge.  Please join us for this exciting opportunity for asset management professionals from all sectors in the East of England to meet and network.

Please register for the event if you interesting in attending. Refreshments and snacks will be available.

The event will host 2 speakers, both presenting on the important topic of Asset Health.

Session 1: Asset health in the water sector, the challenges and opportunities – Paul Dix and Malvinder Plaha, Mott MacDonald

The water sector in England & Wales has faced many high-profile challenges lately, from pollution in rivers to supply interruption issues and leaky pipes. The core of the issues can in many cases be traced back to asset and/or asset management related problems. The sector is currently facing a crisis in confidence from which it needs to rebuild trust and re-gain its place one of the best water supply and waste treatment sector in the world. Paul and Malvinder will look at the current challenges in monitoring asset health across the sectors broad asset base, and how regulators and water companies can work together to address these challenges for better asset management outcomes.

Session 2: Conceptual foundations and practical cases of Asset Health Index in the electrical sector – Sungin Cho, Cambridge University

Within the context of aging infrastructure network asset, the probability estimation process focuses on quantifying the likelihood of unexpected asset failure and/or the degradation of assets, which often called as an "Asset Health Index". Within the domain of electrical infrastructure, the Asset Health Index (AHI) has been widely used as a part of risk assessment process, thereby serving as a key decision-making criterion in asset life cycle management. In this presentation, Sungin presents the conceptual foundations and practical cases of AHI in the electrical sector, based on his experience in designing such frameworks as integral components of risk-based decision-making processes. The sharing includes a range of illustrative examples and approaches, comprising statistical modelling, condition assessment, and material testing.

Speakers: 

Paul Dix and Malvinder Plaha – Technical Directors at Mott MacDonald

Paul has 24 years’ experience in Asset Management, specialising in risk management, asset strategy and capability assessment. He gained extensive utility industry experience working within a United Kingdom (UK) water company, and for the past 11 years has been developing and applying his experience to both UK and international projects, across multiple sectors, as a Technical Director in the Mott MacDonald Asset Management team. Paul is accredited by the Institute of Asset Management as an Asset Management Professional (AMP).

Malvinder has 17 years’ experience in Asset Management, specialising in development of asset management capability, including policies, strategies and plans across multiple sectors. Malvinder is also a regulatory specialist, having worked for 3 years at the England & Wales water sector economic regulator Ofwat and subsequently supporting them throughout his 14-year career at Mott MacDonald as a Technical Director in the Mott MacDonald Asset Management team. Malvinder is also the IAM Eastern Branch chair.

Sungin Cho – Cambridge University

Sungin is a PhD student in Asset Management Research Group focusing on complex infrastructure network assets in university of Cambridge. Sungin has more than a decade of industry and research experience in the asset management of electrical infrastructure. He was previously working as Senior Principal Engineer in SP Group (SP Power Grid Ltd, SPPG), carrying out research projects designing a risk-based decision-making process in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Prior to joining SPPG, Sungin had been working as a Senior Consultant and Asset Management Service Lead Asia Pacific (APAC) in DNV, Singapore, being responsible for consulting services in electrical infrastructure network asset. As a professional service to the society, Sungin is a member of National Mirror Working Group (NMWG) of ISO/TC 251: Asset Management of Singapore.

Agenda:

17:30 - Arrival, refreshments and networking

18:00 - Introduction by the branch chair, general updates from IAM/Chapter/Branch

18:10 - Session 1 and questions

18:50 - Session 2 and questions

19:30 - Wrap up by chair

19:45 – Close

Parking available on-site, please contact us to request a space. Alternatively, the venue is a short taxi ride from Cambridge Central train station.