What was your first job?
A laboratory demonstrator at Lancaster University.
How did you come to join your company?
I had just finished a gap year travelling after a short post-doctoral position at Lancaster University and saw a large recruitment drive for a sewerage technician role in the developer services team at Yorkshire Water to facilitate the staff needs for “The Big Transfer”.
How long have you been with them?
Five years and three months.
What has been your best achievement since joining?
It is difficult to pinpoint just one! My top three include securing the role of water quality scientist in 2013, my secondment to the Drinking Water Inspectorate in 2014, and achieving chartered scientist and rising star status with the Institute of Water.
What preconception about your company did you find was most wrong?
I thought the Water Quality Department had an in-house laboratory. We don’t. We used to, however we have been outsourcing to an external laboratory for many years now.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Parminder Nagra.
What’s your favourite film and TV programme?
Film: Pride and Prejudice. TV programme: The Apprentice.
What would you do if you ruled the world?
First, I’d like to be powerful enough to resolve world hunger or certainly go some way to feeding the poorest people around the world. Then I’d like to turn into a nomadic traveller, experiencing the different cultures and cuisines the world has to offer.
What’s your favourite joke?
Most work stories my dad regales around the dinner table; only they are fact, not fiction. He has a way of telling them which I suppose is a little lost in translation but hilarious nonetheless.
Do you have a message for the industry?
The water industry is constantly evolving. With the move towards a competitive trading environment it is crucial that companies work together, encouraging greater collaboration in order to share operational best practice and learning.
While some competition is necessary to breed innovation and to drive change, the community and heart of the industry, which has always focused on providing an exceptional service despite challenging circumstances, should not change.
Strong inter-company relationships are the key to a sustainable and successful industry future.
Find out more about the Institute of Water’s
Rising Stars programme at: www.instituteofwater.org.uk/rising-stars/