This past October at Itron Inspire, thought leaders from across the utility industry gathered to share insights and strategies for navigating today’s rapidly evolving energy and water landscapes. Among the event’s highlights was an Executive Roundtable moderated by Dr. Michael E. Webber, Professor at The University of Texas at Austin where he is the Sid Richardson Chair in Public Affairs and John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering.

At the recent Itron Inspire event, industry leaders gathered to explore the latest advancements in technology, energy, and water management. One of the standout moments was the keynote delivered by Todd Inlander, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Southern California Edison. His presentation focused on how technology, particularly AI and digital tools, are reshaping the future of utilities and helping SCE tackle some of the industry's most pressing challenges, from grid reliability to the growing need for electrification.

On the first day of the IEEE PES T&D Conference, standing room only remained for the panel session “3 AM Topics That Keep Our Executives Awake – A Multi-Utility / Multi-Disciplinary Perspective”. Evidently, conference attendees seemed eager to see what issues were atop the priority list of utility decisionmakers, including panelist Alfonso Mugueta, representing AVANGRID as Vice President of Planning & Coordination.