Ben Palmer

WORK HISTORY

ABOUT BEN PALMER

I began my wastewater career in 2012 with Yorkshire Water, starting in frontline wastewater operations investigating and resolving sewer flooding incidents across the region. Working hands on in the field, I developed strong technical expertise in sewer network diagnostics, jetting operations, CCTV investigations and coordinating civil partners to deliver permanent solutions.Operating across every major catchment in Yorkshire, I gained a deep understanding of network behaviour in urban, rural and high risk flooding areas. I built a reputation for accountability, technical competence and calm decision making under pressure, particularly during pollution,internal and external flooding events where customer impact and regulatory risk were significant.Over 10 years at Yorkshire Water, I progressed through increasingly senior operational and technical roles, ultimately leading teams and managing complex, high profile investigations. My responsibilities expanded to include leading field teams, managing pollution and flooding incidents, acting as the technical link between operational delivery and senior management, and making key funding decisions on flooding schemes and capital interventions.By the end of my time at YW, I was operating as one of the most technically trusted technical leaders in the business, making decisions with financial, regulatory and reputational impact.Following this, I transitioned into the supply chain and now operate as Head of Wastewater Services for the North of the UK, leading large scale installation and maintenance frameworks across multiple UK water companies.I am responsible for regional and national wastewater monitoring programmes, overseeing the installation and maintenance of sewer monitoring equipment, managing project managers and engineering teams, holding P&L accountability, leading tender strategy and commercial negotiations, and maintaining senior client relationships.My role spans delivery across Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Northumbrian Water, Ireland and Scottish Water frameworks, ensuring safe, compliant and high performance operational delivery.My career has been built from the ground up combining deep technical wastewater expertise with operational leadership, commercial acumen and strategic programme management at scale.