In this edition of Meet the Team, we speak to Hygiene Supervisor Mark Berry who has been with Nant for three years:
How long have you worked for Nant?
Almost three years. I started as a hygiene engineer and progressed to hygiene supervisor in August 2021.
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
I’m the lead engineer within the hygiene department. I’m responsible for liaising with the scheduling team and the main point of contact between the office and engineers. I ensure that all members of the team receive the correct development and the training matrix is updated accordingly.
A typical week for me is to have one office day per week to catch up with the team and complete any admin, the rest of the week is spent in the field. I like to get up and be on the road early so that I am on site between 8-9am. During this time, I will check in with the team to ensure they are ok and have everything they need.
Our role in the hygiene department is preventative rather than reactive. We carry out planned maintenance with our customers and will often see them on a monthly basis.
What I love about the job is that I could be anywhere in the country, from Scotland to Central London.
What can be the most challenging parts of the job? How do you address these challenges?
The hardest part of the job is trying to find the right balance between the needs of the office and the needs of the engineers.
To mitigate this, I always check in with the team via phone every day and ensure I’m in the office on a Friday afternoon so that I can catch up with the team.
What qualifications or training do you draw upon in the role?
All necessary training is provided in house and specialist water qualifications are not a prerequisite of the job.
Prior to joining Nant, I lived in London, and I enjoyed an 11-year career within the education sector, teaching physical education at primary and secondary level, as well as in preparatory schools. I’m able to use these skills in my role at Nant when training and supporting team members.
What do you enjoy about working for Nant?
I love travelling to different parts of the country, especially Scotland.
I like the fact that, through my role as hygiene supervisor, it has given me the opportunity to shape and mould the team. As we grow our customer base, we need to grow the team, two additional engineers would be ideal.
What is the work-related accomplishment in your career to date that you are most proud of?
Promoting to hygiene supervisor in such a short space of time. It shows the faith the business has in me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
The training matrix really helps engineers understand their role in the business and what steps they need to take to progress through the business. This has been a huge help for me.
What is the best bit of advice you would give somebody starting at Nant?
There are a lot of opportunities to develop and become a better version of yourself, especially within the hygiene department. Hygiene is the starting point and from here you could move on to plumbing, risk assessment, all with external qualifications to help you diversify and develop.
I really value the family feel to the business and it’s something I always express to new starters. I joined the business after moving from London to the Midlands and now the Nant team are an extension of my family!
The leadership team want you to succeed and see everyone as an individual, not a name and number on a piece of paper. It’s a great culture here.
What are your interests outside of work?
I love cooking, especially traditional Indian cooking. I recently made goat curry, but my showstopper is a traditional Asian keema curry and rice.
I also like football and rugby. Barnet and Saracens were my local football and rugby teams growing up- I was a season ticket holder for both but very rarely get the opportunity to watch them play now.
Tell us something nobody would know about you?
I’m a qualified PADI advanced open water scuba diver. I have swum in some exceptional locations including the Maldives and Australia, as well as swimming with sharks.
