Abigail Lodge

Abigail Lodge

 Principal Consultant

Tell us about yourself - How and when did you arrive at TÜV SÜD?

I have a BSc Hons Geography from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and a MRes in Science of the Environment from the University of Lancaster. I haven’t ruled out completing a PhD!

I started my career at the Environment Agency working in Cumbria as a regulatory Environment Officer. The job was very diverse. One day I could be acting as an emergency response site controller. The next day I could be in court presenting cases for environmental prosecution or undertaking site inspections and audits.

I joined Sellafield Ltd in 2014 working predominantly as a Project Environment Manager but also supporting corporate environment management. Going from being the regulator to the regulated was quite a transition as I no longer held a warrant and lost the powers for law enforcement.

I arrived at TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies in February 2022 as a Principal Consultant working in the Environment Team - Decommissioning, Environmental and Waste Management.

Why did you choose to apply to TÜV SÜD?

I joined to work on what I am passionate about, which aligned with the company vision, and for a bigger challenge and opportunity to make greater impact.

More importantly, as a former client I liked what I saw.

Where do you work?

I am located at the Warrington office but frequently work from home to reduce my carbon footprint from commuting.

What are your main areas of expertise?

Sustainability, particularly environmental.

What does your role involve? What are your main responsibilities?

At present my role is based upon both the development and delivery of a sustainability capability. In parallel to that, I am developing a sustainability strategy for Nuclear Technologies.

What most excites/interests you about your role?

What interests me the most is taking an evolving topic as vast and diverse as sustainability and breaking it down into something tangible and delivering against it.

Teaching others what sustainability is and why it’s important, and then helping them in the delivery of sustainability benefits is rewarding.

What do you find most exciting about your job? What have been the highlights so far? Are there any interesting projects coming up?

Highlights to date include:

• Establishing a Sustainability Steering Group
• Developing a sustainability framework in which to develop a strategy and policy
• Baselining current sustainability performance through mapping to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) allowing for the identification of areas of improvement
• Integrating sustainability within existing optioneering criteria to inform decision making
• Producing a Net Zero Carbon Plan

Interesting upcoming work includes creating a Community Value Partners Programme to promote community/charitable initiatives with the aim to have positive impacts on a range of social, economic, and environmental factors within the community.

What exciting developments have you seen in the company since you started?

I’m hearing more and more conversations about sustainability.

What future trends do you see developing in your area of work?

Increasing expectations from clients, additional and mandated requirements, and with those more challenge and scrutiny. Net zero carbon 2050 is hugely topical with advancements in carbon modelling vital to support greenhouse gas emission calculations and reductions.

What is your biggest challenge?

Building a collaborative and coordinated network to deliver consistently sustainability.

What do you see as the top perk of working for TÜV SÜD?

The opportunity to do what I am passionate about, to make a direct meaningful contribution and doing it with great people.

How have TÜV SÜD supported you?

From my first day I have been encouraged to pursue what interests me and fits with the vision of the business.

How would you describe your fellow workers in five words?

Supportive, friendly, genuine, conscientious, and knowledgeable

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying for a role similar to yours?

Do it! It is an evolving discipline and business growth area that needs supporting with additional resource. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

I love to travel and experience different cultures and cuisines. I spend most of my time enjoying nature and walking my dogs. Earlier this year I overcame my biggest fear and went diving with sharks in the Caribbean. My next challenge is to learn to play the piano.

Find out more about TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies.