I left school early and joined a youth training scheme.

Aged 21, I took on my first line management role while studying part-time, and from there my interest in management and leadership grew. It became clear to me early on that I wanted to take every opportunity to develop my leadership skills. I started from the bottom, but through persistence and a bit of luck, I managed to work my way up to a position and role that I identified with.

A good leader is someone who encourages other people to go that extra mile towards realising their potential.

A good leader must also have the skills to motivate people to challenge themselves to perform the best they can. It was the desire to become a better leader and to influence others to become better leaders that was my key motivation when agreeing to take on a national talent programme with the Environment Agency, a training programme for potential future executive managers. The experience left a powerful mark and triggered my desire to become a more active member of CMI.

CMI helped me channel positive energy and make the important decision to become a better and more successful leader.

I found myself inspired by the emotional journey I underwent on the national talent programme. I wanted to take the next step to see outside the organisation. CMI gave me this outside window to the world. It helped me understand leadership in a broader sense and gave me the confidence and competence I needed to develop further.

Climate change is the single most important environmental issue today.

The subject has been debated extensively over the past decade and there is a sense of apathy. It’s sometimes hard to mobilise active support for this issue, despite the extensive evidence showing that we have to find ways to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change in the near future. My role as an environmental leader is to keep this issue alive and for it to be seen in the context of economic and social development, not as a threat to it. It’s about working with people so they see the important role they can play and to show them how they can help themselves and take ownership of the situation.

The Environment Agency plays an important role in bringing environmental issues to the forefront.

Society has become more reliant on the state and it is important for us to find ways to reach out and engage with the public. I want to encourage people beyond just recognising the importance of environmental awareness – to positively change the way they live.

Taking the Chartered Manager course was crucial in my becoming acting area manager of south-east Wales.

With the added competence and the opportunity to learn from and meet great people and leaders, it put me on course to developing further within my organisation. I am where I am today as a result of several choices I’ve made during my career and from not being afraid to try new things. Hard work and an open mind can take you far.

Find out more

To learn more about the Environment Agency and the work it is doing to prevent the negative effects of climate change, visit www.environmentagency.gov.uk.

There is also an area dedicated to the relationship between business, industry and the environment, which includes the latest news and events to help businesses understand their environmental obligations.

Want to be a Chartered Manager?

To find out whether the Chartered Manager award is right for you, head to www.managers.org.uk/cmgr, email cmgr@managers.org.uk or call 01536 207380.

You can read more about the benefits on the CMI site and take our new self-assessment questionnaire to receive a personalised report and identify the most suitable award route for you. For more inspiration, see our recent successes at www.managers.org.uk/success.