During an interview at ADAPT’s Data & AI Edge, Matthew Pritchard, Head of IT Strategy at SA Power Networks, shared his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities that data and AI bring to the rapidly evolving energy sector. 

 

Embracing Data for Energy Transformation 

Matthew highlighted the dramatic shifts in the electricity industry driven by renewable energy adoption, fundamentally altering energy flow through the grid.  

He emphasised that to keep up with these changes, it’s crucial to redesign technology to ensure safety, quality, and reliability.  

Data is central to this transformation, enabling precise asset management and optimising green energy usage. 

 

Overcoming Data Culture Challenges 

Building a strong data culture within an organisation, especially one with long-standing practices, is no easy feat.  

Matthew explained that the first step is to identify data owners, promote data literacy, and establish strong data governance.  

By involving stakeholders in these processes, organisations can foster a sense of ownership and significantly improve data quality and usage. 

 

Leveraging AI for Operational Efficiency 

SA Power Networks has made great strides in data quality and governance. Matthew envisions AI transforming how field crews interact with technology, making their work more streamlined and safer.  

By integrating AI, the goal is to make technology serve the users, not the other way around. 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

Targeted AI Solutions: Focus on specific, manageable problems, like automating frequent support tasks, to harness AI effectively. 

Data Culture: Promote data literacy and establish strong data governance to improve data quality and usage. 

Operational Efficiency: Use AI to streamline operations, making technology serve users and enhancing safety and efficiency. 

Contributors
Matthew Pritchard Head of IT Strategy at SA Power Networks
As the Head of IT Strategy for SA Power Networks (SAPN), I am passionate about using my knowledge, skills and influence to... More

As the Head of IT Strategy for SA Power Networks (SAPN), I am passionate about using my knowledge, skills and influence to help SAPN and South Australia transition to the new (clean) energy future using technology. While I have been in the utilities industry for 15 years, I am a techy at heart, and believe that in putting the customer first, and combing our Future Network, Customer and Digital strategies we can create an energy services transition, with customers at the heart, powered by digital.

Having had many roles throughout my career, I have learnt that the best teams need to create their own ways of working, leveraging and combing the best of agile, dev-ops, UX, human centred design and project planning, while understanding the business and strategic context, to create a great culture and deliver ongoing value for the organisation.

I am constantly challenging (and supporting) my teams to embrace these new ideas, balancing emergent design and risk, accepting failure (so long as we learn), and understanding that we only move forward when everyone wins. Digital transformation occurs in the business, and the role of IT is to act as trusted advisors, partnering with the organisation to achieve the strategic vision.

Less
Peter Hind Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT
Peter Hind has spent the last 25 years as an analyst and commentator on the ICT industry. ​ His primary areas of interest... More

Peter Hind has spent the last 25 years as an analyst and commentator on the ICT industry. ​

His primary areas of interest are the potential of technology to transform the way organisations operate, the change management obstacles executives encounter in realising this potential, as well as the tactics and techniques leaders have deployed to overcome these difficulties.​

Peter now takes on multiple roles within ADAPT including the moderation of private events and roundtables, interviewing business executives about the strategies they are pursuing and assisting with the structuring of delegate surveys.​

He also interrogates and analyses ADAPT’s treasure trove of end-user and C-suite data.​

Less
Transformation Data Modernisation