Aouatif Lotfi is a senior water supply manager who is part of a team building a new world class water infrastructure at NEOM, a planned transnational city and economic zone to be constructed in the border region of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. Aouatif studied for an engineering degree, specialising in electronics and IT at Polytech Orléans in France, before pursuing a Master’s degree in electronics and computer sciences at the University of Dundee. She also holds an MBA from FOM University of Applied Sciences in Essen, Germany.
“Today in NEOM I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than realising not only what I do for a living is my passion, but that we have a wealth of opportunities and choices ahead of us to influence and make a difference to the world.”
Using my sustainability and innovation experience to contribute to positive change
I was always fascinated growing up with how things worked, especially by electronic devices, computers, and the science behind them. That curiosity led to my interest and pursuit in studying engineering.
I joined Actaris/ITRON (formerly Schlumberger) in France as an electronic product manager in their gas division. I was the first electronic engineer to be hired by the division with the objective of upgrading the whole portfolio of mechanical gas metering devices to smart products to comply with the 2020 energy efficiency regulations in Europe.
After a tremendous 11 years with ITRON, I decided to broaden my experience, initially with the indoor air quality sector in Belgium and then joining NEOM in early 2019. NEOM, situated in Saudi Arabia, is focused on addressing the major challenges facing our planet, from how we work, to how we live and socialise. I am really excited by the proposition of NEOM, and to be a part of the most ambitious project in the world, utilising my experience in sustainability and innovation to contribute to positive change.
From electronics and computer science to water
I’ve been fortunate to have worked across a diverse range of industries, roles and locations. It has contributed to developing the mix of versatile skills that made it relatively easy for me to adapt to the ever-changing needs and demands in businesses today.
It’s also about mindset. One of my learnings is that for any transition, be it new role, or to a new industry sector or new location; to be successful, you need to have a positive mindset and it will be a success.
Everyone’s journey is unique and at times the destination may appear unclear. My journey, the sacrifices, the efforts to learn and adapt armed with the skills and mindset positioning me as one of the most suitable candidates to work on the NEOM project where innovation and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do.
I have come to believe that the efforts of today, create the opportunities of tomorrow.
About NEOM
NEOM is a planned 26,500 km² transnational city and economic zone to be constructed in the border region of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. NEOM is designed to become an ‘accelerator of human progress’, bringing fresh thinking, new solutions and models for building a better future.
It is born from the ambition of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Planning and construction will be initiated with USD $500bn from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and international investors. The first phase of the project is scheduled for completion by 2025.
Discover how life on THE LINE will offer residents enhanced livability. Communities built around people, not cars, with everything just a 5-minute walk away, powered by 100% clean energy.
Welcome to the new future.
Learn more at https://t.co/ftyh90NV0C#whatisTHELINE pic.twitter.com/RzwBTykzDZ
— NEOM (@NEOM) February 15, 2021
World firsts on a whole new scale
I was fortunate to be one of the first members of the water team. For water supply, NEOM will be desalinating seawater from the Red Sea and combining this with brine management and reuse, which means full seawater processing for minerals, chemicals and by-products. This has never been implemented at the scale of NEOM anywhere else in the world.
As a senior water supply manager, I am responsible for assisting the water supply director in the development and the implementation of water supply schemes in NEOM as the population and demand increases, with new technologies and new innovations to stay ahead in this sphere, to optimise the financial performance of the water utility and the related entities and to meet the NEOM overall environmental and sustainability strategies.
I have also initiated the development of a water bottling plant, one of the first assets to be built in the NEOM water innovation hub, and with the objective of delivering a healthy, highly mineralised, and sustainable bottled water for NEOM.
Discovering a new country
Before joining NEOM, I travelled to the Middle East several times but never to Saudi Arabia. Not knowing much and the idea of discovering a new country and a new culture was exciting for me. It did not leave me much time to think about the challenges. I was thrilled by the new adventure and ready and packed for it.
I have now been living in Saudi Arabia for about two years and besides missing my parents and my family especially during these times with COVID-19 travel restrictions, my overall experience is very positive and enriching. From my perspective, you have also to come with an open mind and appreciate that the work environment is unlike any other you have experienced. This embodies the NEOM ethos and what NEOM is about.
Minimising environmental impacts
Sustainability is at the core of NEOM. The whole of NEOM will be powered by 100% renewables, solar and wind power, fully renewable energies. We will also be producing green hydrogen. In water, for example, NEOM’s water requirements will be addressed using desalination to produce it from plants 100% powered by renewable energies.
The reuse of brine at the scale of NEOM is unique in the world and is challenging. We are building a water innovation hub to attract technology providers and to test new processes in desalination and brine reuse at scale.
If we can produce this chemical from a sustainable desalination process in NEOM this would be a huge achievement for the environment and for industry. We will also produce significant volumes of salt, as a by-product of the desalination process.
Our main focus in NEOM is not only to protect and preserve the natural environment but also to enhance it by returning to its very pristine state before human intervention. Again, technologies developed at NEOM will be deployed globally.
Living my passion making a difference to the world
Today in NEOM I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than realising not only what I do for a living is my passion, but that we have a wealth of opportunities and choices ahead of us to influence and make a difference to the world.
What I am looking forward to is to continue to provide strategic leadership in my area of specialty, implementing the circular economy approach to the water industry and in particular to desalination and zero liquid discharge processes to make the dream of redefining how the cost of water is evaluated a reality.
