Water Utilities Australia (“WUA”) Chairman, Danny Latham, has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer for WUA and the acquisition of Permeate Partners.
Kurt Dahl, who is the founder and Managing Director of Permeate Partners, commenced as CEO of WUA on 31 January 2022.
“I’m pleased to announce that WUA’s new CEO is Kurt Dahl. Kurt was identified as the perfect candidate to further grow and develop WUA following the retirement of Graham Dooley in December 2021.”
“Kurt is a strategic thinker regarding the evolution of the water industry and the optimal management of one of Australia’s most valuable resources – water. Efficient water management is becoming increasingly important due to the conflicting paths of climate change induced weather variability, population growth and expanding customer expectations.” said Mr Latham.
Kurt is a Chemical Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the design, construction and operation of water and wastewater infrastructure. Over the past 16 years, Kurt has been actively involved in the rapidly growing Australian markets for local water infrastructure, recycled water and membrane technology. Prior to establishing Permeate Partners in 2008, Kurt was the Managing Director for ZENON Australia. In this role he oversaw the design and delivery of some of Australia’s largest membrane systems for water and wastewater treatment.
WUA has also acquired 100% of Permeate Partners – a leading service provider in the investigation, approval, procurement, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure. Permeate Partners has delivered a wide range of industry leading projects across Australia, all underpinned by innovation, pragmatism and their deep operational experience.
“The complementary skills and experience of the WUA and Permeate teams will enhance our ability to deliver practical, robust and cost effective solutions that provide fit for purpose water and long term performance for our customers. We will continue to build on our national footprint, strong installation base, industry exposure and collaborative approach to ensure we are seen as partner of choice in the provision of water infrastructure” said Mr Dahl.
Mr Latham acknowledged and thanked departing CEO, Graham Dooley.
“Graham has extensive knowledge and experience gained over the last 30 years in the Australian water industry. He has applied that to WUA over the last 5 years in building very strong foundations for the business and its people to continue to grow and offer sustainable solutions for its customers. I wish him all the best.” Mr Latham said.