South East Water Ltd has received conditional approval from the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to transfer its non-household retail business to Invicta Water Ltd on 1 April 2018.
As South East Water’s non-household retailer, South East Water Choice, has been offering water and wastewater retail services to businesses across the south east since April 2017. Since then, Invicta Water, trading as Water Choice, has also been offering retail services across all of England.
Tanya Sephton, Managing Director, South East Water Choice said: “Letters are being sent out to customers explaining the change. This will be a seamless transition as they will still be dealing with the same knowledgeable and experienced team, which will also be moving to Water Choice.
“We are delighted that in the nine months since the opening of the market most of our business customers have opted to stay with us not only for their water but many have chosen to switch their wastewater services to benefit from our best value tariff and single bill.
“As Water Choice we will be able to build on our experience and provide an even more efficient service and improved customer experience to current and new customers. We will continue to provide the easy, clear and transparent service our customers want”
January is the perfect time to set personal and professional goals for the year ahead. Becoming a mentor or mentee can help you to achieve those goals!
Find a mentor
A mentor will work with you to help clearly identify the key goals you want to achieve this year. They will help you plan how to achieve these goals within a realistic timescale and help set milestones to monitor your progress along the way.
Become a mentor
Being a mentor not only benefits the mentee but can be very rewarding to the mentor in terms of gaining satisfaction from seeing others progress, providing the opportunity to practise and develop management skills and continuing professional development.
One example of how mentoring can be rewarding to both mentors and mentees is the partnership between Jo and her two mentees at RPS; Darrell and Ryan. Despite the distance between them both mentees have been able to work with Jo to set goals and receive guidance to ensure they are on the right track to becoming Registered Engineers.
Mentor: Jo Parker
Job Title: Director
Company: Watershed Associates
Length of time in the water industry: For ever!
In a mentoring partnership with: Darrell Muldoon and Ryan Dukes
Why did you Sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what do you hope to achieve from the experience?I signed up to put something back into an industry I love and to ‘pay it forward’ as a thanks to all the people who helped me in my career
How have you found the process so far?Very interesting. Ryan and Darrell are working hard to become technicians and eventually chartered and have been moving forward steadily. Sadly they are based a long way from me but regular e mails and phone calls are keeping us in touch.
Mentee: Darrell Muldoon
Job Title: Graduate Engineer
Company: RPS Group
Length of time in the water industry: 1 year
In a mentoring partnership with: Jo Parker
Why did you Sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what do you hope to achieve from the experience? I signed up to the Mentoring Platform as I was looking for some additional guidance on how to achieve professional status. I am currently aiming to become an Engineering Technician and then ultimately a Chartered Engineer once I have more experience within the industry.
How have you found the process so far? I found the process of signing up and finding a mentor very straight forward. My mentor has been very helpful in order to point me in the right direction in the early stages of my professional career. Regular contact with my mentor has definitely kept me thinking about how I can progress in the future.
Mentee: Ryan Dukes
Job Title: Graduate Engineer
Company: RPS Water
Length of time in the water industry: 1.5 Years
In a mentoring partnership with: Jo Parker
Why did you Sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what do you hope to achieve from the experience? One of my career goals is to become a Chartered Engineer so signing up for the Mentoring Programme was an obvious decision to make. RPS Water are very supportive of employees pursuing professional development and joining the Mentoring Programme was something that they highly recommended. Ultimately, I was hoping to gain guidance and advice from a mentor who has been through the process of professional development themselves, but since joining the Mentoring Programme and starting my mentoring partnership with Jo, I can already see more benefits from having a mentor.
How have you found the process so far? So far, I have found the mentoring process to be rather beneficial with keeping me on track to meet my professional development goals. Since becoming my mentor, Jo has kept in contact regularly which I feel has helped me keep focused on pursuing and achieving my targets. Jo has been able to give me guidance and advice through the various parts of my application for the Engineering Technician status.
[L-R: Jo Parker, Darrell Muldoon & Ryan Dukes]
Feeling inspired? CLICK HERE to find out more about becoming a mentor or a mentee and sign up to our online mentoring programme.
NI Water, the Department for Infrastructure, Education Authority and the Department of Education are pleased to announce that an innovative new rainwater garden to help reduce the risk of flooding has been completed at Clandeboye Primary School.
£70,000 has been invested in the garden, which is an innovative flagship project for NI Water and the Department for Infrastructure, and is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. The garden demonstrates how sustainable design can reduce the risk of flooding, whilst also enhancing the environment and providing a valuable educational resource.
NI Water previously invested £1.7 million on a new Pumping Station within the grounds of Clandeboye Primary School. This was part of the overall ongoing £10 million investment to improve the infrastructure, reduce the risk of flooding and improve bathing water quality in the Bangor area.
On completion of this project, the Rainwater Garden was constructed utilising funding from the Department for Infrastructure, which represents a further £70,000 investment.
The rainwater garden is a simple concept, which collects water run-off from the school roof and playground area, which is collected in an underground storage tank disguised as a turtle.
When the water within the storage tank builds up to a certain level, a valve opens and allows the water to run down a channel, which will be used by the school children as a “duck run” play facility.
The rainwater then travels into two split-level ponds within the rainwater garden area, which provides further storage. This process reduces the rate at which the storm water reaches the local watercourse – Clandeboye Stream, lowering the risk of flooding in this area of Clandeboye.
Sara Venning, NI Water’s Chief Executive said:
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and one of our customer promises is to protect and enhance the natural environment – which this scheme undoubtedly delivers.
“This is a great example of how we can encourage the engineers of the future to think outside the box and create sustainable drainage solutions, which help to manage storm water and reduce flood risk for our customers in an innovative way.
“I would like to thank Clandeboye Primary School, the Department for Infrastructure, Education Authority and the Department of Education, as well as all our stakeholders and elected representatives in the local community for their support throughout this project.”
Linda MacHugh, Director of Water and Drainage, Department for Infrastructure added:
“There have been many significant flood events during the last ten years, which have had a severe impact on homes and businesses throughout Northern Ireland, highlighting the vulnerability of many communities to flooding and the need to improve our critical drainage infrastructure.
“The Rainwater Garden is an excellent example of an innovative sustainable solution to flood risk and demonstrates joined up government working together, and we plan to adopt this approach in future projects.”
Roger Sayers, the Education Authority’s Assistant Director for Infrastructure and Capital Development, said:
“The Education Authority is delighted to have been able to work in partnership with NI Water, the Department for Infrastructure and the pupils and staff of Clandeboye PS to delivery this sustainable and educational drainage solution, which is a first for the education estate in Northern Ireland. As well as reducing the potential for flooding in both the school and the wider area, it also offers fantastic learning opportunities that can be applied across a wide range of subject areas.”
Julie Thomas, Principal of Clandeboye Primary School commented:
“Clandeboye Primary School are delighted with the Rainwater Garden, which is a great asset to the school.
“The children have a great opportunity here to safely learn in a practical way about living with water in familiar surroundings, as well as the importance of biodiversity. We are looking forward to seeing the many plants and wildlife blooming in the garden in the Spring and Summer months.”
(L-R) Julie Thomas – Principal Clandeboye School, Rosalind Neill Department of Education, Sara Venning NI Water, Roger Sayers Education Authority, Linda MacHugh Department for Infrastructure and Clare Brady from the Department of Education pictured with pupils marking the launch of the Rainwater garden.
Affinity Water is delighted to announce the appointment of Tony Cocker, the former Chief Executive and Chairman of E.ON UK plc, as independent Chairman. Mr Cocker joins the Affinity Water Board on 15 January 2018 and will take over as Chairman on 30 January 2018.
Having worked for E.ON for over 20 years, Mr Cocker has a strong understanding of the utility sector and is currently chair of the renewable energy generator company, Infinis Energy Management Limited. He is also Governor and Deputy Chairman of Warwick Independent Schools Foundation.
Mr Cocker succeeds Dr Philip Nolan, who has served as Chairman since April 2013 and, during this time, has led the Board’s oversight of the development and implementation of Affinity Water’s PR14 Business Plan.
Mr Cocker commented: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Phil Nolan for his leadership and service to Affinity Water over his time as Chairman. I am very much looking forward to working with the Affinity Water Board, its investors and the management team to build on the achievements of the last few years and to continue to deliver resilient and affordable water supplies to 3.6 million people across the South East of England.”
The role of a mentor is to contribute towards a mentee’s career aspirations through careful guidance and support. The mentor uses their experience, expertise, guidance and wisdom to prepare their mentees for a better future.
No-one can become an inspirational mentor in just a day, it comes with experience. It is a life skill that can be learnt, developed and nurtured over a period of time. It’s a continuous learning curve where the mentor grows and learns alongside their mentee.
Here are some proven tips that can effectively enhance your mentoring skills:
- Be Yourself
- Listen
- Set Realistic Expectations
- Be Responsible, Reasonable and Respectful
- Provide Constructive Feedback
CLICK HERE to find out more about becoming a mentor and the benefits of doing so.
Natalie is one of the mentors on our mentoring platform, she is currently in a partnership and finding the process enjoyable and rewarding. CLICK HERE to view more profiles of our mentors and hear their opinions on the process.
Natalie Akroyd
Job Title: Head of Coal Authority Contract
Company: Severn Trent Services
Length of time in the water industry: 15 years
Status: In a mentoring partnership
Why did you Sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what do you hope to achieve from the experience?
I hoped I would be able to offer advice and support, as well as sharing my experiences and decisions, mistakes and successes. Throughout my career I have had several different mentors who have been invaluable to my personal and career development, and so I hoped to be able to give something similar to someone else.
How have you found the process so far?
In one word – fulfilling. What I didn’t expect was how beneficial the partnership would be for me as a mentor – it has made me stop and look at my career to date, celebrate some successes and also recognise some of my strengths and weaknesses. It has also meant I have done some valuable self-reflection. It’s been great building a relationship with my mentee and hopefully I have helped and supported her in some way!
Feeling inspired? CLICK HERE to find out more about becoming a mentor or a mentee and sign up to our online mentoring programme.
Did you know that January is Mentoring Month? The Institute of Water Mentoring Programme is an initiative which aims to unlock potential, support career goals and develop talent in the water industry. We support our members by offering those who are looking to gain additional knowledge or advice the opportunity to learn about a new area of the water industry, apply for professional accreditation or to simply acquire guidance on building and enhancing their career.
Throughout January we will be bringing you weekly email updates featuring some of our fantastic mentors and mentees as well as information on how to sign up and become a mentor or mentee yourself.
To kick things off we would like to introduce you to Anthony Lewis. Anthony has found that the experience of having a mentor has helped to motivate and support him through his professional registration application process.
Anthony Lewis
Age: 31
Job Title: Hydraulic Modeller
Company: Atkins Global
Length of time in the water industry: 6 Years
Status: Mentee in a mentoring partnership
Why did you Sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what do you hope to achieve from the experience?
I signed up because a weakness of mine is that I struggle with self-motivation and thought that if I had someone that I could set targets with, it may help me motivate myself to get chartered a little quicker than I would have doing it alone. Having someone that has already been through the chartership process is priceless and you learn a lot from the feedback mentors give you. Having the support there if/when you need it is fantastic.
How have you found the process so far?
My Personal experience has been brilliant so far. Both myself and my mentor are busy with our own workloads and based in offices miles away from each other but have still been able to find time to catch up and exchange ideas. As previously mentioned, my mentor, Bamijii has been through the chartership process himself so he is able to pass a lot of information forward with regards to how best to sell myself and my experience to suit the chartership route I’ve chosen.
Feeling inspired? CLICK HERE to find out more about becoming a mentor or a mentee and sign up to our online mentoring programme.
Utility Week are delighted to announce that the Utility Week Stars Awards will return on 29 June at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate.
Keeping the lights on and the taps running is no mean feat. Every day, the people behind the UK’s utilities go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver these vital services to homes and businesses. Utility Week Stars Awards celebrates the unsung heroes of utilities.
Add these important dates to your diary today:
Table bookings – open now
Call for entries – open now
Entry deadline – Friday 2 March
Award ceremony – Friday 29 June
Register your intention to enter and by telling Utility Week which categories you may be interested in entering, you will earn yourself a weeks’ extension on the final deadline.
Good luck with your entries!
MANCHESTER, UK: Global pipeline infrastructure specialist Aquam Corporation has announced the appointment of Tim Bowen as Managing Director for the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Bowen brings decades of infrastructure project experience to Aquam at a key moment as the company expands its geographical reach with technologies for surveying, maintaining and restoring vital water and gas assets.
Prior to joining Aquam, Bowen served as the Executive Director of Corporate Development for engineering contractor Costain, where he was responsible for cross-sector group strategy including mergers and acquisitions, tendering, corporate social responsibility, health and safety, marketing and innovation.
During his time at Costain, Bowen grew the highways sector revenues from £60 million to over £200 million in just over five years. He also served as an advisor to both HM Treasury and the Department for Transport on several strategic initiatives.
Tim Bowen said, “Urban decision-makers grapple with the challenges of ageing infrastructure on a daily basis. They often face tremendous cost and massive disruption in replacing the water, sewerage and gas pipes that lie under our streets and within our industrial and commercial facilities and our homes.
“Aquam’s global team is dedicated to designing and developing robust sustainable technologies that can be deployed safely, efficiently and with minimum disruption to property and people. I am delighted to join the company at this exciting time.”
A report released by the Consumer Council for Water this month shows the water industry in England and Wales alone lost 3.1 billion litres of drinking water every day in 2016-17. Fully replacing infrastructure on this scale is prohibitively expensive for many cities and utilities and alternative approaches are urgently needed.
Bowen will oversee the firm’s ongoing growth throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East across its key businesses, including Aquam Pipe Diagnostics (formerly JD7), a global pipeline assessment and inspection specialist; Aquam Pipe Rehabilitation an in-situ pipe cleaning and lining services provider; Nu Flow Technologies, a leader in small-diameter infrastructure lining technologies and Aquam Water Services, a leading UK company that provides critical water usage data and licensed standpipes to utilities.
Dan Squiller, Aquam’s chief executive officer said, “The addition of Tim to the leadership team brings incredible experience and a wide network of potential partners to Aquam further positioning the company to lead the UK water and infrastructure market. His strategic acumen informed by a deep knowledge of infrastructure will be a key asset as Aquam continues to grow, both in the UK and globally.
“His work on major projects including the M4 Hammersmith Flyover Refurbishment, Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnel will be directly applicable to the infra-city infrastructure in which Aquam specialises.”
Congratulations to all the water company winners at the Utility Week Awards on Monday night in London!
Capital Project Management Award
Winner: Anglian Water Services
Health & Safety Initiative of the Year
Winner: Wessex Water
IT Initiative of the Year
Winner: South West Water and Hitachi Consulting
Marketing Initiative of the Year
Winner: Welsh Water
Staff development award
Winner: United Utilities
Supply Chain Excellence
Winner: Anglian Water
Utility of the Year
Winner: Northumbrian Water Group
CLICK HERE to view the full list of awards and winners.
Stonbury were delighted to welcome over 120 delegates to the annual Water Industry Asset and Quality Conference in Burton upon Trent. Now in its sixth consecutive year, the annual conference was well attended by representatives from over 14 Water Companies across the UK and several leading Water Industry consultants.
Service reservoirs and similar clean water assets play a key and crucial role in the storage and supply of drinking water. Suitably this year’s conference took a focused approach, concentrating on matters relative to service reservoirs, including methods for improving bacteriological compliance and DWI Regulation 31.
The conference welcomed excellent speakers from across the industry. Amber Telford, Global Practice Leader for Water Retaining Structures (Mott MacDonald) presented an overview to the New UKWIR Publication on Treated Water Storage Assets, followed by the findings of a collaborative research project by the WRc for Innovative Modelling of Bacteriological Non-Compliance at Service Reservoirs.
The introduction of a digital Q&A session, allowed the conference to be both interactive and engaging. Using smart phone software, guests were able to ask the speaker questions either named or anonymously, which saw audience engagement significantly increased. All questions raised were answered at the end of the presentations, often provoking discussion around the topic area.
James Stonor, Managing Director of Stonbury, addressed Regulation 31, through a presentation, ‘Lessons Learnt from a SR Water Quality Incident’. Opening with a background to the incident, delegates were encouraged to promote an open environment to share and learn from WQ incidents. The presentation was followed with a ‘Water Company Perspective’ by John McGovern, Head of Asset Investment for Northumbrian Water, emphasising the importance of working collaboratively to prevent and overcome such incidents.
In recent years, the conference has developed a platform for industry innovators to showcase their latest products or services. This year saw for the first time, Geocurve – UAV Specialists, demonstrate their capabilities for asset inspection, including inspection and surveying facilities for water towers and roof tops. Other members of the ‘Innovation Lounge’ included; Mason Clark, Polygon, Sensor UK, Gurney Environmental, and BASF.
The water companies concluded the conference, providing an insight into their procedures and innovations surrounding service reservoirs. Dr Clair Dunn, Water Quality and Optimisation Manager of Anglian Water shared an overview for using a risk based approach to improve bacteriological compliance in SRs. Finishing with an update on the progress of the Welsh Water ‘Bacti Predictor’, first introduced over two years ago by Kevin Parry, Principle Statistician, at the previous ‘Bacti Conference’.
The 6th annual Water Industry Asset and Quality Conference has proven a great opportunity for networking and meeting other like-minded individuals, who face similar challenges from across the country.
Martin Vickers – Head of Capital Investment Delivery, South Staffs Water
“Another excellent, well organised, conference attended by a wide spectrum of professionals from across the water industry and country. The presentations were excellent with some very thought-provoking content, which will enable the whole industry to take forward some best practice common themes. To get so many industry professionals in the same room, many with the same issues and problems to address, is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the year on year growth and improvement of this event. It serves to promote and demonstrate continual development of strategies for innovation and everything that’s great about this area of solution delivery.”
As always, guests were invited to finish the conference at an evening dinner, with many opportunities for networking in a less formal environment.
For information or to keep up to date with details of the Water Industry Asset & Quality Conference 2018 please contact laura@stonbury.co.uk