SA Sundowner June 2026 - Stories That Connect - Water Industry Journeys

Join us for our next Sundowner on the 18th of June 2026, centred around the theme of Career Stories! Our panel of award‑winning water professionals will share the highs, challenges, and unexpected moments that shaped their careers, offering honest perspectives and practical advice along the way. It’s a great opportunity to learn, reflect on your own journey, and get inspired while enjoying a relaxed evening with peers from across the industry.

Come along to connect, learn, and be motivated by the stories shaping our industry. Following the panel, there will be plenty of time to grow your network over post-work drinks & nibbles thanks to our sponsor GPA Engineering.

Our Speakers :

Carmine Ciccocioppo – South Australian AWA Water Professional of the Year Award (Premier’s Water Medal) 2025

Carmine is a seasoned water industry executive having worked in the sector for over thirty years in a variety of senior operational, technical and executive leadership roles. He currently sits on the Board of Osmoflo Holdings as their CEO, on the Board of GMB Water as a Non Executive Director, and he has previously served as a Director of the Australian Water Association between 2003 and 2011. Prior to joining Osmoflo in 2010, Carmine held various senior management positions in Abigroup, United Utilities Australia (now Trility) and Sinclair Knight Merz (now Jacobs). Carmine holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours and an MBA from the University of Adelaide, a Masters of Environmental Engineering Science from UNSW, and is also a Chartered Professional Engineer and Engineering Executive with the Institution of Engineers Australia (MIEAust CPEng Eng Exec) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Bridget Lindsay – South Australian AWA Young Water Professional of the Year Award 2025

Bridget is a water engineer with over 10 years’ experience delivering practical and sustainable infrastructure solutions for the water industry. Starting in operations with SA Water, she developed a strong foundation in managing critical water systems before moving into consultancy to design recycled water schemes that enhance South Australia’s climate resilience. Her work spans major projects including the Bunyip Water Scheme, Willunga Basin Water Scheme, and Barossa New Water project, as well as leading the Eastern Grampians Rural Pipeline Project where she integrated optimisation for the design of assets accomplishing significant cost savings. Now Team Manager for Pipelines and Hydraulics at WSP, Bridget leads multidisciplinary teams delivering complex projects while contributing to long-term water planning and supporting resilient, future-focused infrastructure.

Thi Hai Duong Ninh – South Australian AWA Student Water Prize (The Hodgson Medal) 2025

Thi Hai Duong Ninh (Ninh) is a water engineer with over ten years of professional experience in water resources planning and management in Vietnam, particularly within Mekong River Basin. After working on practical water challenges in industry, she moved to Australia to pursue research focused on smarter and more resilient wastewater systems. Currently, Ninh is a PhD candidate at Adelaide University. Her PhD research combines IoT technologies, field experiments, and data analytics to improve the early detection of sewer blockages, helping to prevent sewer overflows that could harm the environment and public health. Alongside her research, Ninh has been actively involved in the water industry through collaborations with utilities and conference presentations. She is passionate about bridging research and industry practice, supporting innovation in the water sector, and sharing her journey as a researcher building a career in Australia.

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Sundowner events are open to anyone with an interest in the water industry, and present an opportunity to meet with other professionals, regardless of experience levels. This is a free event where you can grab a bite to eat and your first drink (beer, wine or soft) which is on the house thanks to GPA Engineering, after that you purchase your own drinks.

Please register your attendance below. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Event Details

When: Thursday 18^th June 2026

Venue: Some Where House 258 Pulteney St; Adelaide

Time: 5:15pm for a 5:30pm start. Event concludes at 6:30pm

What: Drinks over the bar, first drink free (beer, wine or soft) Light snacks also included, further drinks available for purchase.