RSE Innovations Meet the Team – Stephen Sandilands

Over the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing Q&A profiles from the members of the RSE Innovations Team. Their profiles will reveal innovative concepts that RSE is looking to develop and discuss the ways the team is currently working to implement change and improve the world that we work in, to become more sustainable for the business, our people and the planet.

Q1. What is your role in the Innovations Team?

My role is to identify new ideas in the marketplace which could be developed as an improvement to what RSE currently offers or result in the launch of a new product offering to clients.

This involves working with new and existing suppliers, alongside exploring academia to identify the concepts out there and how we might take that idea or product and incorporate it into RSE’s business processes.

I’m currently working on several areas of improvement, including the further development of ceramic membranes, electrocoagulation, using algae for wastewater treatment, high performance self- cleaning strainers, sludge digestion and more.

Q2. What do you enjoy about working at RSE?

In my short time here, I have been really impressed by the large number of people who have been only too happy to give you some of their time to help you with projects.

It really feels like one big team pulling in the same direction and consequently makes coming to work very enjoyable. I am frequently given the opportunity to learn, and I find it particularly enjoyable to work together to achieve a significant goal and deliver innovations that can make a real change to the industry.

Q3. What is the most exciting part of your role?

Working with new technologies has always excited me and I have really enjoyed being involved with innovative technologies such as membranes, which I have seen develop from early thin film membranes to robust ceramic membranes, which RSE is now constructing.

I also like meeting new people within my role and learning from them. There are many very gifted people in RSE and the wider innovations space, and so I really enjoy collaborating with them to try to understand their ideas and develop them from an early stage through to concept.

Q4. What is Your Favourite Past Time?

Outside of work my passion is the outdoors, I like to climb hills, go camping, ski, and golf, but I’m also quite happy pottering in the garden. The events of the last few years have taught us that the natural environment is such a gift and I really like to make as much use of it as I can.

Q5. What advice would you give today to the 16-year-old version of yourself?

I think my one piece of advice would be to not spend too much time looking back, you can only influence what’s in front of you so you must learn from your mistakes and push on.

Q6. What do you think are the big challenges facing water engineering innovations in the next 5-10 years?

I think the challenges of targeting beyond net zero and operating within the circular economy, whilst maintaining excellent customer service, is an exciting time to be working in the water technology sector.

I believe we all need to challenge ourselves in these areas and the water industry processes are predicted to transform over the next 10-20 years. Not only what we do, but how we deliver it, is also vitally important in reducing the environmental implications of our industry. Energy efficiency and off-site modular construction are key factors in RSE’s approach to becoming net zero.

Additionally, the Innovations Team must consider the full lifecycle of any water technology, so how we can maintain water infrastructure and recover value from it once its reach its life expectancy is an area we are constantly working on.