How integrated water management shaped a leader

A powerful voice in integrated water management, this award-winning leader drives collaboration, systems thinking, and sustainable change.

Celeste Morgan didn’t set out to win the Australian Water Association’s (AWA) most prestigious honour. But in 2025, the Arup principal and sustainability leader was named Australian Water Professional of the Year, a recognition she views as a tribute not just to her personal journey, but to a wider movement that has reshaped Australia’s approach to integrated water management (IWM).

“At first, I felt a little uncomfortable with the personal recognition,” Morgan said. “There are so many wonderful people working in integrated water management. But then I realised this award was really about heralding the change we want to see in the industry. I’m proud to stand as a representative of that.”

Reimagining the path to water leadership

Morgan’s career began in New Zealand, where she entered the water sector as a young graduate. However, her early experience left her disillusioned.

“There was a real lack of female leaders, and an industry focused on predefined briefs, not the big picture,” she said. “I felt boxed in and frustrated.”

At that time, only about 10 per cent of engineering professionals in her field were women. The narrow focus of projects and the lack of strategic thinking led her to seek purpose elsewhere. She left the sector and moved to London and began working in planning and urban design, determined to shape outcomes rather than respond to them.

Her work on the regeneration of East London for the 2012 Olympic Games marked a turning point. The project revolved around the River Lea, transforming a neglected waterway into a green-blue corridor that became the centrepiece of Olympic planning.

“It showed me how water can shape places,” Morgan said. “That project brought me to the concept of integrated water management.”

It was in this moment of rediscovery that she first connected with Arup and began collaborating with Australian experts in water-sensitive urban design. Impressed by the Australian approach, she eventually moved across the globe to join the movement.

“Over the past 12 years in Australia, I’ve been privileged to help the sector evolve,” she said. “I think we’re now world leaders in that space.”

Elevating integrated water management

Today, integrated water management (IWM) is at the heart of Morgan’s work. One of her most influential projects has been leading the development of an integrated water management plan for Melbourne. The initiative brought together more than 50 organisations across the region and created a shared vision that transcended traditional water service boundaries.

“It was a huge undertaking over several years, but it brought everyone on the journey,” Morgan said. “We created a shared vision across the water cycle and built trust. I think that work put the sector, and integrated water management, in good stead.”

The project exemplified what she sees as one of Australia’s greatest industry strengths: public ownership of water utilities and a willingness to collaborate.

“We’re willing to share and go on the journey together,” she said. “I’ve seen the industry transform, especially when it comes to embedding cultural values and working with Traditional Owners.”

Recognition of stormwater as a key resource and opportunity to improve the places we live, which was once considered separate from core water authority services, has become a symbol of the sector’s maturity.

“At the start of my career in Australia, I never would have expected to be Water Professional of the Year coming from a stormwater background,” she said. “But the industry has come so far, and that’s something to be proud of.”

Morgan’s award follows in the footsteps of leaders such as Chris Hertle and Karen Rouse, who also pushed boundaries in their respective fields. She hopes her recognition signals continued support for strategic thinkers and systems-level approaches in the industry.

Learning from Country, challenging the norm

A defining feature of Morgan’s recent work has been the integration of Indigenous knowledge into IWM practice. Collaborating with Traditional Owners has reshaped her thinking on both water and systems thinking.

“First Nations people have lived on and managed water in this country for 65,000 years,” Morgan said. “Traditional owner thinking recognises nature is not separate from us. It’s an artificial construct to think otherwise. We need to deliver outcomes for Country as a whole.”

These perspectives have challenged the limitations of Western frameworks and helped her rethink what systems thinking should mean in a modern, connected world.

“Systems thinking, as we define it now, isn’t enough,” she said. “We still miss the human, cultural, and political layers that tie everything together. We need to get out of our spreadsheets and talk to each other.”

Her work involves more than just policy or planning. It is about reweaving the water cycle in ways that reflect cultural connections, memory, and stewardship across generations. In her view, recognising waterways as a living entity is not just a philosophical stance. It’s essential to creating truly sustainable water systems.

This holistic approach also includes adapting how water systems are monitored, managed, and maintained. Morgan is interested in shifting regulatory and operational models to make room for co-design with community groups, especially those representing First Nations interests.

“We’re only just beginning to understand the depth of knowledge that exists,” she said. “We need to be humble and open to learning.”

Where integrated water management can go next

Morgan is adamant that the water sector cannot succeed alone. Integrated water management, she believes, provides a platform for deeper cross-sector collaboration, particularly in areas such as energy, planning, and climate resilience.

“There’s so much potential to work across sectors,” she said. “Whether it’s recycled water for hydrogen or managing water for new urban green space, integrated water management can unlock new benefits.”

Her recent work has explored the links between IWM and the energy transition. Water is essential for hydrogen production, and future water strategies must consider how to manage demand from emerging industries, such as hydrogen and data centres.

“We couldn’t have anticipated that data centres would become such major water users,” she said. “But that’s an opportunity, too. It could be the catalyst to develop alternative water supplies and scale up recycled water.”

She’s also closely watching how nature-based solutions and environmental finance might intersect with urban water outcomes.

“There’s an opportunity for nature markets to help fund green infrastructure,” she said. “We can bring nature back into cities and align it with investment in regeneration of water systems.”

The impacts of integrated water management are already visible in projects that repurpose stormwater for cooling, improve liveability, and contribute to biodiversity.

“It’s not just about pipes and pumps,” she said. “It’s about creating healthier, more resilient cities that serve people and ecosystems together.”

Future-focused thinking, with the right questions

For all the talk of technology, Morgan believes the real innovation lies in asking better questions. Tools like artificial intelligence (AI) can be transformative, but only if they are applied with purpose.

“If we’re not careful, we’ll use AI to optimise the wrong things,” she said. “We can’t just use new tools to reinforce the same thinking. The question you ask is everything. That’s what drives the outcome.”

She wants the sector to move beyond narrow performance metrics and adopt multiple benefit frameworks, including social, environmental, cultural, and economic.

Her call for better questioning is also a call for courage, to move away from the status quo, take risks, and explore new partnerships.

More importantly, she encourages the industry to keep people and communities at the centre.

“It’s about broadening our idea of value,” she said. “We have to challenge what we optimise for.

“We’re in challenging times. We can’t face those challenges with old tools.

“Technology should support us; not replace the relationships and insights we build face to face.”

Advice for the next generation

For early career professionals, particularly women in engineering, Morgan offers both encouragement and challenge. Her own journey shows that sometimes walking away is part of finding the right path.

“My advice is to find your passion,” she said. “That can take time. But when you find something close to your heart, that’s where you’ll make the most impact.

“Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you. Work with teams that energise you.

“If you’re not loving your day-to-day interactions, make a change.”

At Arup, she now leads a team that is more than 75 per cent female or non-binary, which is a radical shift from the early days of her career.

“It’s a fantastic collaborative way to work,” she said. “And it shows how far the industry has come.”

Her closing reflection ties back to both cultural tradition and universal experience.

“A Traditional Owner at a recent women in water event reminded us that women have always had a deep relationship with water,” Morgan said. “We’re all carried in water by our mothers before we’re born. That connection with water begins with our mothers, and we should think of them and act with our hearts to make water healthy.”

For more information, visit awa.asn.au and arup.com