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
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
Jordan AllsopRegional Manager - Midlands and North

I joined SMS Environmental in 2013 as an engineer, responsible for carrying out onsite maintenance. We then opened our Midlands office, which required a coordinator to schedule and book engineers' works, along with carrying out general office duties so I decided to have a change of scenery. Then, offering more of a challenge and progress and after some additional training, I took on the role of Regional Manager/Account Manager for the region.

When off duty

Jordan likes to wander the hills with her pooches
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
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
Toby MaddoxOperations Director

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
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.
Thomas CarneRegional Manager Wales and South West

I am the current Regional Manager for Wales and the South West. What attracted me to SMS Environmental is the sheer quality which the company displays and its thorough processes. I have over 15 years of experience within the industry and during this period. I have gained various Industry qualifications to support me in my role. As a qualified plumber, I started my legionella journey on the tools, however, soon progressed to cover the various disciplines we undertake including water hygiene monitoring and risk assessing and finally moving into management.

When off duty

I enjoy family time, traveling, cinematography and photography.

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

Q4 Core Value Champions

December 2023

Be Human Champion: Holly Lees Assistant Account Manager

About Be Human Champion: Holly

Holly has worked at SMS for over 3 years. She began her journey with us as a trainee water treatment engineer, before choosing a different path as an Operations Co-ordinator and later becoming an Assistant Account Manager.

This Person is Featured Because...

She has been awarded 'Be Human, Make Connections' because although a client never heard of SMS before, they wanted to give SMS the work because of Holly Lees. Holly is in demand as many clients want her as their account manager.

December 2023

Excellence winner: Martin Hare A/C Manager

About Excellence winner: Martin

Martin is a long-service star, a member of our team for over 17 years!

This Person is Featured Because...

He has been awarded 'Excellence as an Attitude' for his dedication and attention to detail when training new risk assessor. Ensured the new starter got first class understanding of their role whilst maintaining standard with his own reports.

December 2023

Going Above Winner: Sam Luscombe-Green Trainee Legionella Risk Assessor

About Going Above Winner: Sam

Sam joined us as a trainee legionella risk assessor.

This Person is Featured Because...

He has been awarded 'Going Above and Beyond' because he saved a client (housing tenant) £12,000 and helped them avoid getting scammed whilst on a job at the site. They were so grateful to Sam for his help, and wanted to nominate him.