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People & Opinion Utility Week community UTILITY WEEK | 4TH - 10TH MARCH 2016 | 7 This week we profile James Sommerville, alliance delivery manager with WGM Engineer- ing and one of the Institute of Water's Rising Stars intake of 2016. What was your first job? The first part-time role was as a stock room assistant at Next. Post-graduation it was as a graduate engineer at WGM Engineering. How did you come to join your company? It was following a discussion with a family friend who works for WGM. They informed me that they were looking to take on a graduate engineer, they submitted my CV and I was lucky enough to be given an interview. Rising Stars profile James Sommerville, WGM Engineering How long have you been with them? I joined WGM Engineering two weeks aer my final master's coursework submission in July 2012. What has been your best achievement since joining? My greatest achievement has been the promotion to my cur- rent position, alliance delivery manager, which not only came a few short years aer joining the company but was also a true sign of recognition to the commitment and trust that both parties have shown to each other in that period of time. The role involves delivery of a five-year E&M maintenance alliance for Scottish Water, building both an office-based support team and field service team to ensure efficient delivery – something which at aged 25 I am hugely privileged and appreciative of. What preconception about your company did you find was most wrong? That they were just another engineering-based company. In the time I have been there they have shown a true passion for the industry, extensive customer care and a commitment to devel- oping and nurturing the talent of their employees to the point they are like a second family. Do you have a message for the industry? The water sector is faced with daily reminders that we are facing continued evolving chal- lenges like no other genera- tion before us, the destructive effects of flooding, as climate change and changing popula- tions test our efforts. Collabora- tion at these times becomes ever relied on in order to continually adapt to changing expectations set out by both customers and employees to ensure that the essential service we are proud to deliver is maintained. These challenges are encourag- ing us to carry on collaborat- ing, forming new partnerships that lead us to continue to strive in order to transform our industry for the better, to continually improve. Find out more about the Institute of Water's Rising Stars programme at: www.instituteofwater.org. uk/rising-stars/ Utility Week Stars Awards Manchester, 17 June 2016 In June, the acclaimed Utility Week Stars Awards will be back, and bigger and better than ever as we celebrate the crucial contributions of front line and back office staff from across the utility sectors. We will be honouring the unsung heroes of the energy and water networks who, day aer day, go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver these vital services to homes and businesses, making a real difference to people's lives. For more information about how to nominate someone for one of the awards, visit: www.utilityweekstars.co.uk Defra reforms Natural Capital Committee Environment secretary Liz Truss has announced the re-formation of the Natural Capital Committee, which sees the appointment of a range of academics and directors to spearhead the implementation of the the Department for Envrion- ment, Food and Rural Affairs' 25-year environmental plan. The NCC – chaired by professor Dieter Helm who was reappointed in December – will provide advice on the state of England's natural capital to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee. The six newly appointed mem- bers are: Colin Mayer. management studies professor at the University of Oxford. Diane Coyle, pro- fessor of Econom- ics at the University of Manchester and director of consul- tancy Enlighten- ment Economics. Georgina Mace, professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystems at UCL and director of the Centre for Biodi- versity and Environment Research (CBER). Ian Bateman, pro- fessor and director of the Centre for Social and Eco- nomic Research on the Global Environ- ment (CSERGE). Kathy Willis, direc- tor of science at the Royal Botanic Gar- dens and founding director of the Oxford University Biodiversity Institute. Paul Leinster, professor of Envi- ronmental Assess- ment at Cranfield University, former chief executive of the Environment Agency. APPOINTMENTS 61% of people in England said greater local control of flood management would have a positive impact, according to a survey com- missioned by the Institution of Civil Engineers.