Professional registration goes far beyond meeting industry expectations. It gives our members the confidence, clarity, and credibility to make a meaningful difference in their work. During Chartered Week, we celebrated professionals across the CEng, CEnv, and CSci registers whose reflections showed exactly why registration matters.
Their stories stood out for their honesty, purpose, and commitment to maintaining high standards across the sector.
As part of #MakeItCount, we are proud to share these experiences again. Each testimonial demonstrates the real impact professional registration can have on day‑to‑day practice, from strengthening environmental responsibility to reinforcing scientific integrity, building leadership skills, mentoring others, and supporting long term career growth.
We hope these stories encourage you to reflect on your own development, recognise how far you’ve come, and consider how you can continue to #MakeItCount
Lisa McKenzie MEng CEng EIWater
Lead Functional Consultant, IFS Copperleaf
“Becoming a Chartered Engineer represents formal recognition of my experience against a respected industry standard. I genuinely valued the process for bringing structure and focus to my CPD. Using the competency framework with my manager helped identify growth areas and led to my involvement in some interesting projects. Since becoming chartered, I find it rewarding to mentor others on their journey, helping them identify competencies to strengthen and plan how to achieve them.”
Rich Simons PhD CEng EIWater
Head of Application Science, AquiSense Technologies (Europe) Ltd
“As a “technical” person it can be easy to dive deep into the maze of standards, data, and equations. The chartership process requires you to look beyond your expertise and consider the complete role of an engineer; it has helped me see different perspectives on leadership, reinforced the importance of good management, and given me a greater appreciation of the softer skills that turn ideas into physical reality.”
Ioana Muresan CEnv
Lead GIS Consultant, Scottish Power
“My CEnv mindset has always focused on applying appropriate environmental behaviours both in the workplace and in everyday life. Environmental safety and ethics have consistently shaped my thought process and decision‑making, guiding how I approach challenges and assess impacts. I have always regarded these principles as critical and believe they should be upheld to the highest standards, both professionally and personally.”
Thomas Kelly BEng (Hons) MPhil MBA CEng CSci CMgr MIWater MCMI
Director of Operations, Ionic Technologies
“Becoming a Chartered Engineer is a fantastic way to demonstrate competency and empower career advancement. It represents a globally recognized standard for engineering capability and is a pre-requisite requirement for many senior positions. I feel that it has certainly enhanced my career to date, and it is very rewarding helping aspiring Engineers to enhance theirs through similar Registrations. I would encourage anyone considering Professional Registration to pursue it, because it is something employers really value.”
Austen Buck PhD CSci EIWater
Executive Director, Water Research Centre
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”, Carl Sagan once said and I believe that “something” lives within the minds of the budding scientists in our sector! By committing to professional registration, we uphold integrity, strengthen confidence in our discipline, and ensure that our voices are trusted and valued. This credibility is essential as we work toward the scientific discoveries that will reshape the future of the water sector.”
Ghislain JuvanonCEnv
Technical & Asset Director – Qatar, Veolia Near & Middle East
“My chartership is a reflection of my values: that professional excellence is inseparable from environmental stewardship. From my early days in marine resource management to leading multicultural teams in large-scale utility operations, being a CEnv empowers me to lead with purpose. It’s about ensuring that every drop of water we manage today contributes to a more secure and sustainable world for tomorrow.”
Natalie Akroyd CEnv FIWater
Director of Quality and Environment, South Staffs Water; Vice President Environment, Institute of Water
“Professional registration provides independent assurance that an individual has the required skills, experience and competency in their field. With the current focus on our sector’s environmental performance, it is more important than ever to demonstrate to the public and our regulators that we have the best people working to protect and improve it. Environmental professional registration is the perfect way to do this.”
Hamish Todd MChem MRSC CSci EIWater
Net Zero Research and Innovation Senior Programme Manager, Scottish Water
“Having worked for nearly two decades in the water industry, all within scientific roles, becoming chartered has added real weight to my experience and knowledge. I am profoundly proud of my CSci status and often speak passionately about its benefits, as well as the opportunities offered by the Institute of Water. Without their support, I don’t believe I would have received the scientific recognition I deserve, given the diverse nature of my work across science.”
