Meet our people

Daniel Simmonds

Senior Category Specialist, Purchasing

"I had never worked at a big business before, so I was pleased to discover that an organisation like Severn Trent has many more opportunities to progress my new role will give me the chance to handle bigger projects."

What does your current role involve?

My role is within the purchasing department, where I’m the category specialist for telecoms. This involves looking after everything from phones on desks to mobile phones, as well as all the clever infrastructure and hardware that allows people to make calls. I ensure that when you pick up your phone, it works and it directs you to the right person. We have a number of contracts in place with different suppliers, so on a typical day I deal with key contacts and aim to resolve any issues that come up.

How did you start out at Severn Trent? What’s your career path been?

Before I joined Severn Trent, I started studying for my CIPS, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. This was a great foundation, because it teaches you all about the strategic role of purchasing and how you can add value to an organisation. My previous role didn’t really give me the scope to put these skills into action, so I left and joined Severn Trent. Since then, I’ve been able to keep developing because there are all sorts of internal training programmes available. I’ve recently taken part in courses on soft skills like influencing skills and negotiation, as well as more technical subjects like EU procurement regulations.

How has working at Severn Trent met or challenged your expectations?

I had never worked at a big business before, so I was pleased to discover that an organisation like Severn Trent has many more opportunities to progress. Since I’ve been here I’ve been promoted. And I’m about to change roles again after a restructuring in the organisation. The new role will give me the chance to handle bigger projects.

What is the culture like at Severn Trent?

It’s a really friendly environment. I get on well with all of my colleagues and there’s always something going on. We’ve had themed nights out. And when I’ve worked as a group on a project, we’ve often had a team night out. There’s also a ‘saying thanks’ scheme which is really good. If you do something above and beyond your normal day-to-day job, a colleague can say ‘thanks’ by rewarding you with vouchers. That’s always a nice touch.

What are you most looking forward to?

In the short term, I’m excited about our new purchasing director joining, as he’s looking to drive us forward and raise our profile within Severn Trent Water. In the long term, I’m looking forward to continuing my career and developing my skills further.