Chris Wallace will speak at next week’s Utility Week Congress in Birmingham where he will suggest new ways in which utilities can attempt to shape customer perceptions. Cautioning firms to think carefully about the way they engage with customers, he says:“Customers want to hear from their utilities, but can only engage when the language is theirs, not ours.”

Personal notes

What has been you most successful or challenging experience in your career and what did you learn from it?

Bringing the whole concept of ‘brand’ into Scottish Water to open dialogue with our customers when we are traditionally such a low profile monopoly service. To get that approved and then executed effectively you need to have a very clear idea of what you are doing and why, which itself has to be informed by research you are confident has told you what you need to know. And you can never spend too much effort and energy in carrying your team with you.

Which five people you would invite to your dream dinner party and why?

Hollywood star Amy Adams, whose very name causes my pulse to go haywire; David Bowie, who would hopefully come as Ziggy and not the Laughing Gnome; I’m fascinated by Vladimir Putin, part-time Russian Leader and full-time James Bond villain, though I’d worry he might clash with Bowie so I’d probably have someone diplomatic to smooth that over, maybe the Queen, who must have seen a few things in her time and have a tale to tell. Last seat goes to Mrs Wallace.

Name four items you keep on your desk:

Pens – any number of cheap plastic pens I’ve picked up in hotels, conferences, etc, in the knowledge they will soon be lost and replaced by other pens; a picture of wife and family, hopefully mine; an Aston Martin DBS Coupe – radio-controlled model, not the real thing, to be auctioned off or given as a prize for WaterAid, of which I’m Scottish Chair; and an advertising poster for Regabe beer, which I picked up on a WaterAid visit to Burkina Faso, which reminds me of the warmth of the people there.

The main event

The Utility Week Congress 2014 takes place 14-15 October at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham City Centre.

Speakers include:

•    Amber Rudd MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change

•    Cathryn Ross, chief executive, Ofwat

•    Dermot Nolan, chief executive, Ofgem

•    Dr Paul Leinster CBE, chief executive, Environment Agency

Utility Week Congress is sponsored by BT, Economic Insight, ENSEK and Microsoft”

Find out more at www.uw-congress.net