Beneath The Surface

Are there enough women leaders in the UK water sector? The statistical and anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest not. Even though other countries may look at the UK, see a few women in high profile positions, and think the UK is leading the way in gender equality... ask women in the industry and you often get a different view.  So, what can be done to improve? Angela Booth (Head of Business Dev...

Andy Bampton first got involved with the suicide prevention charity Andy's Man Club when his own son had thoughts of taking his own life. He took his son along to a group (where weekly, free peer-to-peer support is offered) and then eventually got involved in running the organisation himself, having seen the transformative power of peer-to-peer support. In this fascinating episode, Andy joins host...

In our first episode (around a year and a half ago) we talked about what it's like to be a woman working in the UK water sector. With a significant amount of time having passed, we ask whether progress is being made on gender equality. Sarah McMath (CEO, MOSL) and Anna Kummelstedt (British Water) join to give their perspectives from senior leadership and new joiner / young professional standpoints...

What we call EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) here in the UK, is more commonly known as DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in the States. In the current political climate in America, DEI is under pressure. Yet the water sector has many projects in place aiming to increase diversity in an effort to secure the workforce of the future that it needs. So, what is the current situation? And ho...

Lee Chambers is the CEO of Male Allies UK. Lee was awarded the Freedom of the City of London for services to equality in business and outstanding contribution to gender equity at work, as well as being the 2023 UN Women Changemaker of the Year for his work on male allyship and gender equity. In this fascinating interview with hosts Lila and Perminder, Lee explains how allyship is something that ca...

Lacey Carlyle is a Service Excellence Coach at CCW (Consumer Council for Water). Alongside her existing role, Lacey launched and leads on EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) at her organisation. Lacey also has fibromyalgia - constant chronic pain - which is a non-visible disability. In this episode, Lacey shares her expertise and experiences in a fascinating interview with host Perminder. Topics...

Being part of an international company adds a new dimension to EDI policies, processes and ambitions. What is possible in one place, might not be in another. Progress moves at different rates in different places. In this episode - Chris Lloyd (EVP - Global Business Unit Lead - Energy & Utilities and South Africa Country Lead at WNS, part of Capgemini) shares his experience of running one entire ve...

Oliver Nkosi is Head of Organisational Design and Learning & Development at Salix. With a track record in - and passion for - leading and delivering progress in workplace culture at a number of organisations in his career... Oliver shares his expertise on important issues such as: the crucial role a CEO has in defining culture what happens when culture is good... and what happens when it is bad wh...

A key part of making progress on EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) is speaking up when something is wrong. Bad behaviour, prejudice and negative workplace culture has to be called out in order for it to be sorted out. But, it's hard to do.  Being part of a network can help. You realise you are not alone and can call on the support and experience of others to raise issues, encourage change......

EDI stands for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, but Inclusion is often the least discussed, least understood and least prioritised of the three. And yet, arguably it is the most important to get right... and can enable progress in the other two. In this insightful episode, host Perminder interviews Paul Anderson-Walsh (CEO, Enolla Consulting). Paul has worked with and advised high profile organi...

The UK water sector needs to - and is actively trying to - recruit and retain more young people, more women and more people from diverse backgrounds. But what is the experience from the other side? What's it like for the people the water sector would love to recruit and retain? Do they feel attracted to the industry? Do they find entering it easy? What about when they start work - do they feel wel...

Stephen Slessor - who identifies as working class - and has built a stellar career in the water sector - reflects on his own story and explains why he faced unequal treatment as a working class person. In discussion with host Lila, an honest and insightful appraisal is made of where the UK water sector is on class... and what it can do to improve. Beneath The Surface Through powerful stories and r...

The UK water sector needs to increase recruitment and it wants to attract young, diverse people. Yet it struggles to do so. Meanwhile young people in the UK from a variety of backgrounds are keen to find job opportunities and find it hard. Why is this mismatch happening and what can be done to improve? James Adeleke is CEO of Generation Success, a social enterprise dedicated to unlocking the poten...

Rajiv Sudan first joined the water sector in a junior non-graduate traineeship position and has worked his way up to being Major Projects Director at Mott MacDonald. It was being mentored that gave his career a launch pad - enabling him to proceed with confidence with a guiding voice and a levelled-up network of contacts. Now he himself mentors others and does what he can to make sure that people...

Are there enough women in C-suite (top-level executives within a company, typically those with titles starting with "C" (chief), such as CEO, CFO, COO, and CIO) positions? Are things moving in the right direction? What barriers do women face getting the top jobs and how can these barriers be removed or overcome? How can men help create gender equality at the top of organisations? How can any indiv...

Energy and Utility Skills conduct regular research into how the water sector is doing on EDI. The latest stats were released in the last few weeks. While they show that there is a commitment to make progress on EDI - show other challenging patterns emerge. There are issues with women, younger colleagues and people from ethnic minority backgrounds all wanting to leave the sector. Plus, although mor...

Richard DeNetto is CEO of Change The Race Ratio, a campaign to increase racial and ethnic minority representation on boards and in leadership teams in UK Business. He joins hosts Lila and Perminder on this episode to give an insight into the current state of diversity at board level across UK industry, including the water sector. Are there enough senior leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds? If...

Simon Frampton is Resourcing Manager at YTL UK, the group that owns Wessex Water.  Simon first became interested in neurodiversity after meeting an individual with autism who inspired him. That experience led him to begin to champion neurodiversity in his own workplace and then in the wider sector.  Simon believes that more should be done to make the workplace more accessible and welcoming for neu...

Everyone should have equal opportunity to build a happy and productive career in the water industry. But people at all levels will talk about having problems at one time or another. Career management is a skill that the individual can learn and improve... but the sector need to play its part in creating a welcoming, accessible environment with equal opportunities to progress. In this episode, our...

Reuel Abrams was born in the UK, grew up in Barbados, then returned to the UK to complete his A-Levels. He has experienced racism throughout his life, but, is more than anything a "glass half full" person. In this episode he shares his positive blend of honesty, insight and analysis to the subject of race in the water sector (one of the many industries he has worked in). Now a senior industry figu...

Episode 2 is all about leadership.  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion can no longer be just a tick-box exercise that industry leaders feel they have to pay lip-service to or be "seen to be doing". Jason Tucker - an influential and respected figure at the top of sector - makes the exact opposite point: To deliver top performance, EDI must be right at the top of every C-Suite exec's priority list. J...

In Episode 1, Lila and Perminder set the tone for the honest and insightful conversations that will follow across the rest of the series, by sharing their own experiences relating to Gender Equality.  Perminder draws comparisons between when she worked in manufacturing (where she tried to raise sexist behaviour with management and struggled to get it dealt with) and her later experiences in the wa...

A taster of what's to come in the new 'Beneath The Surface' podcast from British Water, supported by Xylem UK. Beneath The Surface Through powerful stories and real-life examples, Beneath The Surface highlights EDI topics in the water sector, sharing personal experiences and best practices that inspire change. It brings attention to the voices of under-represented groups, with a focus on attractin...