Our People

At the heart of SMS are the people who help us provide a world class service. We believe that the future of SMS is down to the people behind the scenes making sure deadlines and business objectives are met.

Meet Our Management Team

James DinnageArea Engineer Manager (South)

I first joined SMS in 2002, and have been with the company for over 18 years. My main responsibilities are overseeing the water PPM teams (South) with help from the supervisors and also working closely with the Account Managers, HR and Directors.
I'm a plumber by trade, and carry out various PPM tasks for the company. I also help run a large contract in Reading and help ensure all the engineers based from the Harwell office are trained to the high standards that the company demands.

When off duty

James "enjoys" supporting Everton if he's not out with the family
Pip WhiteHR Officer

I have had the pleasure of working with the SMS team in the HR department since April 2012. I have a varied role covering recruitment advertising and interviewing, induction, training, HR database maintenance, payroll input and resolving HR queries from managers and staff.
My expertise is in recruiting and welcoming new starters to the business and finding suitable external training courses when requested. I feel I have a good understanding of the business and use that knowledge in my role.

When off duty

Pip likes walking and Sudoku, but not at the same time
Caroline StrudleyBid Manager

I joined SMS in 2016 to supplement the executive team in winning new business. My responsibilities include sourcing sales opportunities and submitting tenders as well as developing the Tender library, applying any feedback received to support the continuous improvement of bids.
I have strong bid management experience, with the ability to write fluid business proposals and tenders. I am a good communicator and able to develop relationships at a number of levels in order to achieve both the project and Company’s goals.

When off duty

Caroline loves water, especially when it’s frozen and surrounded by gin
John MeeRisk Assessment & Regional Manager

SMS employed me in 2013 to carry out Legionella Risk Assessments that were part of national contracts, in the Midlands/North of England and Scotland. The workload in the region grew quickly and soon SMS Midlands was born, which I now manage. I also manage the Legionella Risk Assessment Department following SMS's UKAS accreditation.
I am trained and experienced in LRA of cooling towers and swimming/spa pools. SMS carry UKAS accreditation to ISO:17020 for these which I manage and maintain.

When off duty

John prefers to be on two wheels
Toby MaddoxArea Manager

I joined the company in 2007 as a trainee engineer and within that time I have carried out various job roles within the company including, engineer, senior engineer, risk assessor, account manager and now area manager. Now my main responsibilities are to look after various key accounts within the company and manage a team of account managers.
I have managed compliance within the healthcare, local authorities, councils, housing associations, schools and universities sectors.

When off duty

Toby enjoys a bit of footie or swinging his clubs
Gavin HarrisManaging Director

I joined in 2003 as an engineer, and got my hands dirty again, having moved from a sales role. Once I'd got my old skills back I was out of the van and back in the shiny shoes. I progressed to sales manager, I then progressed to Sales Director where I had the opportunity to further my education with a DBA at Henley Management College. I had the opportunity to become a shareholder which in light of the fact sales were flying in I took. I'm now MD and I'm proud of unique company culture we maintain despite the increasing growth year on year.

When off duty

Gavin enjoys coaching his local juniors football team
Mike CrookAccounts Director

I joined in 2011, following a Masters degree, sponsored by SMS, in Water and Wastewater Engineering. My role has always focussed on Account Management. I have been involved in a number of high profile projects for our clients to deliver safe and sustainable solutions to Legionella control and water hygiene issues, as well as providing comprehensive training courses in Legionella Control and Water Hygiene Management. I joined the Board in 2016 and since then my role has included the management of operations across all our offices in the UK.

When off duty

Mike likes spreading the word on Country Music, which is slowly but surely taking over our offices across the Country!
Paul CarriganBusiness Development Executive

I joined the company in September 2018. My objectives were to establish and grow SMS operations across Scotland. I'm please to say that in a short space of time the engineering team continues to increase along with out capacity to fulfil works and with the increase in long terms contracts the length and breadth of Scotland. We've won contracts in every sector but in particular within FM and local authorities who demand the attention to service delivery we can provide.

When off duty

Paul plays drums in a band, swims to keep fit and watches football.
Jatinder ChanaService Delivery Manager

Over a decade of experience in offering the best service delivery to a variety of corporate environments. At SMS Environmental I head up the office service delivery coordination for both PPM and remedial works.

When off duty

Jatinder enjoys time with his dog and supporting Indian cricket.
Louise StringfellowRegional Manager - Wales & the South West

Experienced Business Development Manager and Account manager. Skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Operations Management, Relationship Management, Coaching, and Sales. Strong business development professional graduated from ILM.

When off duty

Louise enjoys jogging and generally keeping fit and getting outdoors in the Welsh countryside

Our Success Is Thanks To Our People

If you’ve experienced services delivered by other providers before SMS Environmental, you’ll instantly recognise a difference to our approach. Our staff are committed to maintaining long term partnerships and go the extra mile to deal with any request. And, for the peace of mind you deserve, we offer transparent ways to track the progress and quality of any service we provide.

In the beginning....

John Sandford CMIOSH and Nick Hearn founded the company in 2001 with the simple vision of establishing a company that delivered on a first class service through the quality of product and the professionalism of their employees.

John has since become a chartered occupational health and safety consultant, headed up the SMS Risk Assessment team and led SMS to become the 1st full service provider to gain UKAS Accreditation to ISO17020 (UKAS Accreditation Number - 8563) for Legionella Risk Assessment. He has undertaken the UKAS Assessors and Lead Assessors course to enable external auditing of any health and safety management system.

Nick continues to play a leading role in the development of the SMS engineering team and has become a passionate advocate of improved training in the industry, committing SMS to the Watersafe scheme and developing educational partnerships to deliver practical training facilities to staff and the wider public.

Investing in our future

At the heart of SMS is the people who help us provide world class services. We understand as a business that the future of SMS is the people behind the scenes making sure deadlines and business objectives are met. Our engineers work tirelessly every day and make sure our customers are happy and satisfied with the services that we offer. This is why we heavily invest in the people who make the organisation successful because they are the future of our company.

An organisation's culture will influence human behaviour and human performance at work. Poor safety culture has contributed to many major incidents and personal injuries.

Health & Safety Executive - http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/topics/culture.htm

Combining smart people with smart technology, SMS offers an intelligent, transparent and competent service. We strive to see things from our customers' point of view and put ourselves in their shoes.

If you think you might like to join us at SMS please visit our careers page for the latest vacancies and details on how to apply.

SMS Careers

Featured Team Member

April 2021

Michael Crook Operations Director

About Michael

Mike joined SMS Environmental in 2011 following a Masters degree in Water and Wastewater Engineering. His role has been focussed on Account Management and he has been involved in a number of high profile projects for SMS clients to deliver safe and sustainable solutions to Legionella control and water hygiene issues, as well as providing comprehensive training courses in Legionella Control and Water Hygiene Management. Mike joined the board in 2016 and since then his role has included the management of operations across all of the SMS offices in the UK.

This Person is Featured Because...

He recently became a Chartered Scientist (CSci) and a member of the Institute of Water. We took some time out to have a chat with him (socially distanced of course) to find out more.

1. How did you go about becoming chartered status and a member of the Institute Of Water? Did the opportunity come to you or did you actively seek it out?

It's something that I've wanted to do since joining SMS, and something that John Sandford had encouraged, however when I first looked into it, I didn't have sufficient experience to qualify for the application. Since then, it's just something that has been put on the back-burner through either other things being prioritised or sheer laziness! With lockdown 2.0 looming I decided I was going to have a more productive time and put the lack of social life to good use and get the application started - it took to midway through Lockdown 3 to complete and finally pass.

2. Following on from this, what did you have to do?

The application consists of a written application and interview assessment. The application form itself consisted of around 15 competency essays where I had to demonstrate my experience, skills and knowledge through 'real-world' examples, these consisted largely of case studies of projects and experiences I've had at SMS. Once the written application was completed, it was sent off to assessors from the Science Council who review and then conduct a 1-2 hour interview where I had to defend my application - fortunately this wasn't too painful and I passed. Once the Science Council authorised my application they sent a recommendation to the Institute of Water that I be given Chartered Status and become a Member of their institute.

3. Do you think it's important to be a member of the institute of water and if so, why?

It's not something that I'd previously given much thought to, more something I said I'd get around to once I felt was the most suitable industry group for me to join given my qualifications and background. I also see that in our chosen field, we help manage and support a small (but important) area of water quality and by joining The Institute of Water it would provide me with opportunities to speak with like-minded people working in other disciplines of water quality and hygiene and may open up collaborative working and learning opportunities. I think fundamentally, CPD is vitally important because we work in a dynamic and ever changing environment and I don't want to stagnant (pardon the pun), my CPD has always been something that just happened through my day-to-day work activities and hasn't been something I have invested much time in, but I've chosen, with the support of SMS to take it seriously and continue investing in my development.

I think CPD is important for everyone, regardless of job role and there are loads of great industry groups out there, depending on your interests there is something out there for everyone. As an example I also recently joined the Water Management Society, and have plans to look at the Chartered Management Institute.

4. How did your qualifications play a role in the above?

My qualifications made the application process a little easier for CSci, but overall it didn't have a major impact as there are loads of different pathways to achieving the status - the main factor was my experiences and how those have helped with my development. By taking on opportunities and importantly making mistakes (and there have been a few) along the way it helped me along the journey. I plan on having a long career in our industry and with the experiences I get from SMS and the new ones available through IWater, WMSoc and CMI hopefully it can only further my development.