Rising star recognised

A big congratulations to Greater Western Water’s own Anafrid Bennet, who last night won the Next CIO award at the 2023 CIO50 Awards.

Pictured: Anafrid Bennet and Michael Wootten at the CIO50 Awards in Sydney.

Anafrid is GWW’s Head of Technology, Security and Property. She and Chief Operating Officer Michael Wootten traveled to Sydney last night for the award ceremony.

This inaugural award recognises those rising stars in Information & Communications Technology (ICT) roles who are on the path to senior leadership, exceeding expectations and helping drive innovation through their organisation.

And Anafrid is clearly a rising star. As well as creating and leading GWW’s cyber security strategy, she has been named a highly commended ‘One to Watch in IT Security’ by the Australian Women in Security Awards.

In their comments, the judging panel said that while all finalists had submitted standout entries, there could only be one winner.

“Anafrid Bennet is already displaying the leadership, technology, business, innovation and people skills to take her far in our industry. And like any great leader, she inspires others to excel, and leads by example. If Anafrid is indicative of the next generation of CIOs and technology leaders, then our industry is in very safe hands.” 

Anafrid said she was truly humbled and grateful for the recognition the award represents. 

"It is a testament to the strong collaboration, hard work, and dedication of my current and past Technology & Security teams at GWW," she said.

"I feel fortunate to be working under exceptional leadership and to be part of such a supportive and inspiring organisational culture. I am proud to have contributed to our collective success, and I look forward to continuing to serve our people and community with my colleagues, mentors, sponsors, and supporters."

Michael Wootten said he was thrilled for Anafrid's well-deserved win. 

"It reflects on the great work she has done in the cyber and tech space across GWW, and also on how she goes about her work - the way she leads and builds relationships, and how she role models the GWW cultural ambition everyday."

To learn more about Anafrid, read our recent profile piece on her career at GWW and what motivates her to focus on building safe digital environments.