From opera to water management: the career of Michael Wilson

From aspiring opera singer to CEO of a water management company, Michael Wilson’s path has been shaped by adaptability, a commitment to positive impact, and a willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities.

Michael Wilson’s career aspirations began far from the water management industry. Growing up with a deep passion for music, Wilson envisioned a career as an opera singer. A talented baritone, he pursued voice lessons and classical training, dreaming of performing on world stages. However, reality soon set in.

“Baritones are a dime a dozen,” Wilson said, “The most sought-after roles in opera tend to go to the tenors.”

Though his departure from music was unexpected, it taught Wilson the importance of adaptability.

“It gave me a sense of perspective and confidence,” Wilson shared in a recent interview. “I think it was important to find that I had a core skill set that remains highly transferable to other areas of endeavour. I’ve worked in a range of different fields and policy environments with different stakeholder groups, which has seen me learn a whole range of different things.”

Politics and public service

Wilson’s next step was equally shaped by opportunity. After completing a degree in political science at the Australian National University (ANU), he worked as an advisor in Australia’s political sphere. His early roles in the arts and culture sector helped him build the experience and insight that would later prove crucial in his leadership journey. One of his first significant career-defining moments came when he was offered the chance to work for the Australian government as an advisor to the Arts Minister. This pivotal role exposed him to high-level decision-making processes and government policy development.

Wilson’s public service experience expanded beyond the arts. He has worked in various policy roles, including environmental and sustainability policy at the federal level. There was also a stint in national security as an advisor within the Australian Federal Police (AFP). This period helped him develop the skills to manage complex projects, often involving negotiations across different political landscapes.

“The experience gave me insight into how to navigate the political quagmires of policy, which has been incredibly helpful in water management,” Wilson said.

International development and water management

Wilson’s foray into international development began with his connection with the water sector. After his time with the AFP, he joined AusAID, the Australian Agency for International Development, working on Southeast Asian programs.

His time in this role influenced his understanding of water security and its impact on communities, particularly in developing countries. While stationed in Vietnam, Wilson managed Australian aid programs worth over $350 million annually, many focusing on water resource management in the Mekong Delta. His work in Southeast Asia exposed him to the complex interplay between water, agriculture, and community resilience.

“Water is everywhere in the region, but reliable access to clean water and the security of water resources is a persistent challenge,” Wilson said.

This experience gave Wilson an appreciation for the technical aspects of water management and underscored the importance of political, economic, and cultural considerations in ensuring access to this vital resource.

During this time, Wilson understood water’s vital role in underpinning all global development and poverty reduction objectives. He witnessed firsthand how droughts, natural disasters and poorly planned developments on river systems affected livelihoods, pushing people into extreme poverty. The challenges he encountered in the Mekong region left a lasting impact on Wilson and solidified his commitment to sound and evidence-based water management as a career path.

Navigating the future of water policy

In 2022, Wilson became the Group CEO of eWater, an organisation dedicated to improving water resource management in Australia and globally. Initially appointed as the CEO of the Australian Water Partnership (AWP), eWater’s international flagship program funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Wilson’s leadership soon expanded to include the entire company. Under his stewardship, eWater has played a crucial role in providing tools like hydrological modelling software that help decision-makers manage water resources more effectively.

Wilson’s leadership at eWater has been shaped by his commitment to evidence-based decision-making, which was informed by his diverse career experiences.

“We focus on providing reliable, transparent data,” he noted. “It is our job to steward our software platforms, which have been developed over 20 years, and the water management skills and expertise that sit behind these tools and capabilities in the interests of everyone who requires a reliable water supply. In doing so, we need to keep the tools and services up to date and play our part in building a national skillset to help water scientists and decision-makers do their jobs better.”

In Australia, the world’s driest inhabited continent where water scarcity is an especially pressing concern, the ability to provide clear, actionable insights to policy-makers, regulators, suppliers and users is critical. This commitment to data transparency has earned eWater bipartisan support, ensuring their work remains supported, regardless of the prevailing political landscape.

One of Wilson’s key initiatives at eWater has been modernising the National Hydrological Modelling Platform, known as eWater Source. He believes that robust, data-driven tools are essential for supporting sustainable water policy in the face of growing challenges like climate change, increasingly frequent extreme weather events and increasing demand.

“Good water policy needs to be built on reliable, objective data,” he emphasised. “Water is the sovereign gift of the jurisdictions along that shared water course, and all jurisdictions need to work together to make decisions around the governance of that resource. It’s why political decision-makers will still be held accountable for their decisions. Still, the data relied upon in reaching those decisions should be available for anyone to scrutinise and not be a mystery.”

Values-driven leadership

Throughout his career, Wilson has consistently emphasised the importance of values-driven leadership. At eWater, he helped develop a strategic plan that articulated the organisation’s core values—something that had not been done before his tenure.

“We wanted to be clear about what we stand for,” Wilson said. “We are still having conversations about our mission and values. We properly review our strategic plan every year, even when the current one runs until 2028. Once we get to 2028, I reckon it might look very different from what we drafted in 2023, and that’s how it should be.”

He pointed out that a strategic plan should be a manageable target, too, as it is critical to keep the goalposts clear for all the internal and external stakeholders. The evolution of the strategic plan represents eWater maturing and developing as an organisation, broadening its mandate and range of activities.

Reflecting on his career, Wilson credits his success to his willingness to embrace the unexpected. “I’ve never planned my career too rigidly,” he admits, noting that some of his most rewarding experiences came from doors he hadn’t anticipated would open. He advises others not to over-plan, instead encouraging a focus on values and openness to new opportunities. “By staying flexible and true to my values, I’ve found fulfilment in ways I couldn’t have predicted.”

For more information, visit ewater.org.au