Tell us about your background

“My professional career has been spent chiefly working in the water industry.  I have worked at United Utilities for 24 years and before joining United Utilities I worked in environmental consultancy. My professional focus has mainly been on leading environmental strategy and asset management activities, so the long term environmental impact on our water supply and management systems is something I’m very interested in. My current main role is Director of Environment Planning and Innovation at United Utilities, so I investigate and plan for long term requirements facing the water industry – for example, meeting net zero goals, climate change adaptation and making sure we can meet ongoing sustainability targets in the future as they become more stringent over time.”

What have been your highlights over your first year as a Director of JLEN?

“It has been fascinating to witness from the inside how JLEN drives a financial return from delivering environmental benefits and I clearly see the similarities with UU as well as the differences. JLEN’s sole focus is operating environmental assets effectively and efficiently so there have been many parallels – for example, both JLEN and United Utilities operate anaerobic digestor assets as well as some solar generators. There is a specific business dynamic which comes from a more commercial mindset and whilst I have found my time here educational, I have also been able to contribute a counterpoint perspective and see that contribution make an impact – which is what being a Board Director is all about.”

How do you perceive the importance of Sustainability & ESG?

“Looking at the topic from a top-down perspective, it is important for JLEN (and other businesses) to ensure there is a clear overview of the environmental benefits that our assets deliver – for ourselves as well as our customers – because the assets JLEN manages have their own ESG footprint which needs to be monitored. We are lucky to work in an organization which understands this need, taking proactive action to analyse and manage the efficiency of assets and make consistent improvements to demonstrate that we are living by our own environmental values. ESG data should be used to drive business development as a matter of routine as well as helping businesses identify the different opportunities that exist to drive the push towards sustainability.”

How do you see your role evolving over time?

“I’m looking forward to advancing JLEN’s reporting on ESG criteria over the next 12-18 months. Impact measurement is at different stages of maturity depending on whether you are talking about the E, the S, or the G, so there is a lot of room to make a meaningful difference in this area. 6 months ago we established a formal ESG committee within JLEN and had our first meeting as part and parcel of a normal Board process – this is important if we are to establish business practices which prioritise ESG management as part of everyday operations. Having launched our suite of ESG KPIs in 2021, I want to use that data to learn and make continual improvements in our ESG reporting as well as day to day decision making – particularly in how we report our carbon emissions.”