March 2017

34 APAC / March 2017 , 1702AP36 Water Is Our Business Francois Gouws of TRILITY tells us more about the water market in the APAC region and what the future holds for the company. TRILITY is an established industry leader, solely dedicated in the delivery of water, wastewater, reuse and bio- solids solutions across Australia and New Zealand’s municipal and industrial sectors. This leadership draws on more than 20 years’ experience of providing high-quality solutions for our public and private sector clients including financing, design and construction, operations and maintenance, asset management, disinfection and utility services. The company has a growing footprint across Australia and New Zealand and our capabilities span the full life cycle of water infrastructure, delivering services to millions every day. TRILITY’s mission is ‘leading the way in water utility solutions’, and Gouws of TRILITY tells us more about how the Company achieves this objective. “We focus on providing appropriate solutions to the wide range of challenges which our clients are faced with,” Gouws begins. “Our technical teams strive to keep abreast of innovation and new technologies, and our commercial teams examine a range of approaches to ensure solutions are delivered as cost effectively as possible over the long term.” “TRILITY also focuses on active participation in a range of industry associations to ensure we contribute to the overall advancement of the water industry. Our participation includes major national bodies such as the Australian Water Association, Water Services Association of Australia and the Committee for Economic Development of Australia as well as numerous state-based associations and organisations.” In the lead up to a new project, the TRILITY team spends significant time understanding the client’s strategic context and the underlying drivers for the project. This includes analysing competing priorities for the potential client and understanding the priority of issues to be resolved. “Our offerings are as tailored as possible to suit the client’s needs,” explains Gouws. “We customise technical solutions, commercial structures, and delivery partners in an attempt to achieve mutual success with our clients’ on every project.” “Given that most of our projects are long term, collaborative contracts, we also place significant emphasis on values and culture alignment with those of our clients’. At the commencement of a new project, our team places significant effort on relationship development and builds this into a robust project planning process.” The Company’s differentiator with regards to the competition focuses on its ability to develop the most appropriate bespoke solutions for any given challenge that its clients face. This includes both technical and commercial aspects of a solution. Coupled with this focus on appropriate solutions is the collaborative culture that TRILITY brings to its client relationships, manifested through transparency, integrity and flexibility. Where staff are concerned, TRILITY’s internal culture is based on continued service delivery to its clients. Having a simple mission relating to leadership in water utility solutions provides clarity and allows the development of a strong culture. “Our core values relate to integrity, being progressive and showing commitment in what we do,” Gouws embellishes. “Our culture is focussed on safety, sustainability of our operations and integration within the local communities where we operate.” “A unique challenge in maintaining a strong culture is the geographic spread of our business and the bulk of our staff being located in small, geographically isolated teams rather than in an office. To overcome this challenge, we focus on a flat hierarchy, regular and open communication and positive interactions between the teams in our business. In spite of the geographic spread we do manage to maintain the feeling of a relatively small, flexible and friendly business.” TRILITY is committed to improving the communities it serves, and as a supplier of essential services, the company understands the impact its facilities have on the communities where it operates. This, in turn, means it is also focused on ensuring that employees adhere to the corporate values and commit to exemplary performance across all aspects of TRILITY’s footprint in the community. “This runs across everything we do, from protecting the environment to supporting community organisations. This means we are constantly seeking to recruit the best employees - those who can deliver results today and work towards an improved result tomorrow.” “Cultural and values alignment is important in our recruitment decision making. We use behavioural based techniques to assess potential staff as well as considering skills and experience requirements.” “TRILITY employees work together in an environment where each is treated equitably, with fairness and respect. We are committed to developing employees who can excel in current and future roles. We ensure that appropriate career opportunities are available for talented employees seeking new challenges. As such, we place priority on promoting from within as part of a broader objective of developing a high performance