Georgina Taubman

As far as my beginnings on the course at Cardiff University goes, right from my industrial placement all those years ago, it has set me on my way in what has become a varied and enjoyable career.

Since graduating from the Applied Environmental Geology course, I have had a varied career.  It was my industrial placement at a Corus (now Tata Steel) steel coating plant in Swansea that set me up for a career in Environmental Management. While at Corus, I was commissioned to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment of the site ahead of its closure and the sites subsequent redevelopment for housing.

Graduate career

Since then, I have worked for a whole range of different organisations and sectors. My first full-time job was at Groundwork, an Environmental Charity, here I provided environmental management advice to over 40 different companies across the Rhondda and Merthyr Valleys.

In my next role, I was part of a team who developed the National 'Recycle for Wales' Communications Campaign, helping to commission a range of TV, radio and billboard advertising resources. Following this, I became the Coastal Manager at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, helping to coordinate summer lifeguard provision on its most popular beaches, assisting with the maintenance of Penarth’s Victorian Pier and putting in place the necessary measures to ensure Barry Island obtained its first Blue Flag Beach Award.

Moving on from there, I became an Environmental Consultant, working on a diverse range of projects with clients ranging from local authorities, large utilities companies, the Welsh Government all the way through to wind farm developers.

One of my most rewarding roles was as the Environmental Officer at one of Europe's largest open cast coal mines (the Ffos-y-fran site in Merthyr Tydfil). Here, I coordinated all aspects of Environmental Management across the site, including ground and surface water quality monitoring, ensuring that day to day operations adhered to all the regulatory and Planning Condition requirements set against it. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the role was managing two designated protected ecological areas associated with the site – not something I ever anticipated doing on a coal mine.

Most recently, I have worked as the Environmental Coordinator at the Tarmac Cement Plant in Aberthaw in South Wales. Dealing with a wide range of aspects from emissions monitoring, water quality monitoring, ensuring the site operates within its regulatory limits and undertaking day to day inspections of the site.

I have had a varied career, a large proportion of which has been working within the heavy industry sector where I have found myself in a minority of female workers on site. My experience has always been one where I have been treated with respect and as an equal, and I have always been made to feel welcome and included.