Inclusion

The Graduate Programme lasts for two years, during which graduates move around the business in three- to six-month placements. Heather joined the scheme in September 2019 after completing a degree in Human Geography at the University of Sheffield. A combination of factors attracted her to Anglian Water: the company’s clear focus on protecting and enhancing the environment, its high rating on jobs site Glassdoor and the relevance of her Geography degree. Her experience so far has been a mixture of operational and office work with site visits, presentations and involvement in various projects.   

“My experience as a woman in Water Recycling has been really positive – I have never felt that my gender is an issue. I have now had two operational placements, a Networks placement in the Cambridge patch and a Treatment placement in the Huntingdon patch. I always felt supported and valued by these teams and managers.” 

Katie has recently completed the Accelerated management trainee programme IMR Water Services. She is now in a permanent role as Operational Development Manager for Customer. Through the programme she is learned about how people are managed and how operational processes work, while getting experience of different parts of the business and managing projects and people.  Before joining the AMT Katie worked as a technician scheduler and in the Planned Preventative Maintenance team.

Katie’s current role is focused on embedding Make today great and customer strategy across the business including a focus in operations, how we can make things even better for our customers. Katie believes that her lived experience of working in operations helps in this role as it gives her another perspective and having existing relationships means she has a level of trust and rapport already developed, these relationships can be built on to deliver change. Having an operational background means you can come up with ideas that someone who has never worked there might not. Katie is passionate about what we can do to make customer service better without breaking the bank, believes that it is about getting the basics right. Keen to use this role to help drive our CMEX scores

“Diversity adds another dimension – an outside view can add value and provide a different perspective, leading to different ideas. Plus it’s fun to work in a mixed team!”

Hello, I’m Annesley Crisp, Project and Engagement Manager working in the Shop Window and part of the Innovation Engagement Team (SD&CA), I have been in this role since January 2020 

I applied for the role at AW because I wanted the opportunity to work for a first-class business, the chance to widen my horizons and expand my career (in a new country). I studied a Master of Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and previously worked as a research officer in the local council in South Africa, this role also taught me a great deal, I learnt that all you need is one person with hope and dedication and anything can be achieved! 

No day is the same as the last in innovation, every project I work on is so different. You get to meet a range of people and learn about many different areas of the business and the wider water sector. Sometimes it does feel like you are juggling a few balls at once, but it’s exciting and deeply rewarding. When you can see and celebrate tangible success it motivates you to keep at it.  

We are small team but with a good variety of men and women.  I feel very supported by the team, especially our senior managers who are proactive in encouraging my well-being and personal development.  

I still count myself as new, but it has been a wonderful introduction and a steep learning curve. I think the most important thing I have learned is to say yes to as much as you can in your first year and to not be afraid to ask those “silly questions” which in the end are in fact never silly.  I undertook an Innovation Champion’s Course last year, which is an accredited ILM course. The 3-month part-time course focused on building innovation capacity and capability across our organisation 

To any other woman considering a role in STEM I would say it is incredibly challenging and rewarding! It’s important to remember that women bring a unique perspective to many STEM related discussions and this cognitive diversity is critical to business success, so always speak up and try to be a part of the conversation!