Prof. Dragan Savic FREng

Professor Dragan Savic FREng is Global Advisor on Digital Sciences and former Chief Executive Officer at KWR. He is an international water and digital transformation expert, and business leader with over 40 years of experience in engineering technology, academia and consultancy. In his previous roles as CEO, Director and Non-Executive Director, he has helped develop strategic direction for organisations, overseen the restructuring of businesses, and developed patentable innovation and spinout companies. In addition to innovation and leadership skills, he is known for believing in bridging science to practice in the broader water sector and utilities in general.
His research interests cover the interdisciplinary field of Hydroinformatics, which transcends traditional boundaries of water/environmental science and engineering, informatics/computer science (including Artificial Intelligence, data mining and optimisation techniques), and environmental engineering. The applications of his research are generally in the environmental engineering areas, including water resources management (both quality and quantity), flood management, water and wastewater systems, and environmental protection and management.
Professor Savic obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Manitoba, Canada, in 1990. He then held several academic, consultancy, and project management positions in Canada and his native Serbia before relocating to the United Kingdom, where he co-founded the University of Exeter Centre for Water Systems in 1998. For over 20 years, he co-led the Centre, which has become the largest water systems engineering academic research group in the UK and has developed a world-renowned reputation for pioneering research into the key challenges of sustainable water management. This includes research into water supply and distribution systems, wastewater and urban drainage systems, flood risk management, and smart water systems.
In 2001, he became the UK’s first Professor of Hydroinformatics, holding this post until 2018 at the University of Exeter. He was also the head of the Engineering faculty between 2010 and 2014.
In 2013 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), the highest honour for a UK engineer. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (UK), and a Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA). He is a part-time Professor at the University of Exeter and a Visiting Professor at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and IHE Delft (the Netherlands).