My career: Ryland Cairns

9th March 2017


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  • Skills ,
  • CPD ,
  • Qualifications ,
  • Training

Author

IEMA

Environment manager, Muntons

Why did you become an environment/sustainability professional?

Growing up in the countryside enabled me to develop a strong connection with the natural environment. I have been fortuitous to carry this passion on through university and into my profession.

What was your first environment/sustainability job?

My first real environmental job involved being responsible for the management of all MoD water, wastewater and waste treatment assets and operations in the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island. I felt incredibly lucky to be helping to ensure effective environmental operations in such unique ecosystems.

How did you get your first role?

I studied with the previous manager of MoD water during my MTech in water processes at Cranfield University. His breadth and depth of knowledge relating to the technical, regulatory and environmental management aspects was simply amazing. He attributed this to his MoD role. He was so inspiring that when the position became available I jumped at the chance.

How did you progress your environment/sustainability career?

Although I have invested a lot of time in personal study I attribute the team around me as the single biggest contributing factor in my career progress. As a leader, I devote a lot of time developing knowledgeable and empowered teams with strong, shared values. As the team begins to take ownership of their assigned areas it allows me to take a step back and focus on strategic issues and drive improvements. This helps us all progress our environmental careers.

What does your current role involve?

Driving environmental performance and compliance for Muntons’ food manufacturing site. A key part of this is ensuring effective operation of our award-winning anaerobic digestion plant, leading the transition to ISO14001: 2015, and aligning our environmental reporting with the new GRI standard.

How has your role changed over the past few years?

I have increased the time I spend communicating and reinforcing sustainability values internally and eternally. While it is important to set and achieve the right environmental objectives to create a sustainable value chain, it is also important to communicate this to demonstrate that sustainability does pay from a business perspective. I see this as the cornerstone in getting businesses and the government to embrace sustainable initiatives.

What’s the best part of your work?

On top of doing something I believe in I would say that it is my immediate team that makes this current role extra special.

What’s the hardest part of your job?

On top of my environmental role my secondary responsibilities involve leading the site’s facilities management team. Although this is a discipline that I am trained in and enjoy, I just don’t get as much satisfaction out of it compared with some of the great environmental initiatives we have going on.

What was the last development/training course/event you attended?

I am currently studying for an MBA, which I am undertaking in sustainability leadership.

What did you bring back to your job?

I am using the concept of developing sustainable value chains to help to form our sustainable procurement strategy and ultimately help to set us up for achieving ISO 20400 next year.

What is/are the most important skill(s) for your role and why?

Embedding a sustainable culture within a business is key to achieving present and future environmental objectives. Transformational leadership plays a critical role in getting the right values, the right beliefs and the right attitudes to ‘stick’.

Where do you see the environment/sustainability profession going?

In the current climate I am worried that environmental policies and initiatives could be abandoned in favour of more short-term and popular alternatives. As such I would like to see a greater emphasis on the development of sustainable leaders focusing on long-term goals.

Where would like to be in five years’ time?

I would like to be looking after environmental strategy, compliance and operations on a small island or a remote location because you feel closer to the positive impacts that you are making.

What advice would you give to someone entering the profession?

Invest time in understanding yourself, what aspects of the career you enjoy/find rewarding and then set your goals accordingly. The details may change as you meander through your career but if you stick tight to your core values you can’t go too far wrong.

How do you use IEMA’s skills map?

The map provides a great framework for structuring my and my team’s training needs, and communicating these to the rest of the business.

Career file

Qualifications:

BSc, MSc, MTech, PGCertFM, CEnv, MIEMA, CMgr MCMI, CBIFM

Career history:

2015 to date environment manager, Muntons

2015 site manager, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Thames Water

2011 to 2015 South Atlantic water services manager, Interserve Defence

2010 to 2011 South Atlantic contracts manager, Satec

2008 to 2010 research engineer, Cranfield University

2007 process engineer, Severn Trent Water

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