Michael Swain Email and Phone Number

I am currently the performance manager for Crossness sewage treatment works, the second largest sewage treatment works in the UK serving over 2 million customers living in South London. It’s 24 hour operational COMAH site which cannot be shut down due to its constant incoming flows. It includes a sewage treatment works, the country’s largest Thermal Hydrolysis Plant (THP), a nature reserve and one of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s original pumping stations in over 240 acres of land. The Crossness pumping station is currently rated #370 of things to do in London on trip advisor with a rating of 4.5 from 54 reviews.My main responsibility as performance manager is leading dedicated teams of over 50 indirect reports ensuring the condition of the effluent from our sewage treatment works is within our strict consent limits dictated by the Environmental Agency to keep our rivers clean. My responsibilities do not end there however, as premise controller they also include promoting the name of Crossness, improving the Thames Water brand, site improvements, maintenance and upkeep, ensuring safe working conditions, practices and welfare throughout the site and providing safety authorisations through the use of TWOSA’s (Thames Water Operational Safety Authorisation) and TOCOP’s (Transfer of Control of Premise) for contractors.

I was the Wastewater Connections Manager in Developer Services for Thames Water which is the largest Water and Sewerage company in the UK. My teams were solely responsible for the technical delivery of all waste water connections, build overs, diversions, adoptions, abandonments and general enquiries relating to any new developments across the Thames Waters region. That's over 15 million wastewater customers.At its peak, my teams had over 50 indirect employees who dealt daily with 96 different local authorities, local, national and international designers and developers and also homeowners developing for their first time. My teams were responsible for all queries and applications being responded to with accurate, easy to understand technical advice and necessary consents in a timely and efficient manner ensuring the customer is at the heart of everything we do.Not only did my teams and I provide our customers with technical support but we represented the customers voice within the wider business. I was known as a wastewater networks customer and technical expert within the business and also industrywide by repressing Thames Waters voice at WaterUK steering groups. I personally made it my mission to set out and improve customer journeys, speeding up consent times and provided the industries first self-certified online application for build overs.

Working at Yorkshire Water as a Waste Water Technician in Developer Services gave me a wealth of technical knowledge on all Developer Services main wastewater technical functions including sewer adoptions, diversions, connections, build overs and general waste water queries.I gained significant additional knowledge regarding Planning, Building Regulations, the Water Industry, Sewers for Adoption 6 & 7, SUDS, sewer designing, micro-drainage and more.I dealt mainly with Designers and Developers but also a Building Controls, Planners, the general public and the wider company on all wastewater issues surrounding new developments.I gained a wealth of experience in presenting, changing existing and creating new processes, motivating and training others, dealing with complaints, improving company performance and driving change all by thinking different to the standard company approach.