Mike Madine

Mike Madine is Head of Wastewater Service Planning, Quality and Performance at NWL, based at Head Office in Pity Me and also a volunteer Trustee-Director for Wag & Company. Mike explains why he wanted to become part of the team, enabling Wag’s continuous development.

“My career began in civil engineering contracting in 1985 working with a range of clients across England and Scotland. I joined Northumbrian Water Group in 1991 developing my career in a number of roles in Operations, Capital Delivery, Strategic Planning, and for the past 10 years as Head of Service for Wastewater. I have also been fortunate enough to experience working for short periods in a number of other countries including South Africa and China. A great cultural experience. My current role involves the development of our strategic and tactical plans, working closely with economic and environmental regulators, customer forum, and other partners to deliver industry leading service to our customer base at best value.

Why Wag & Company? Born and bred in the North East, I currently living in mid Northumberland. In recent years through exposure to ageing relatives, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have seen first-hand how important it is for us all to have regular human contact.

My mum is 80 years old and lives on her own. Being clinically extremely vulnerable has really restricted her interaction with friends and family and I have seen a noticeable difference in her mood over the past year. Regular visits are essential and getting her used to using mobile technology has been fun!

I have grown up with a dog almost all of my life until our latest Labrador, Coco, passed away last year. She was the most friendly and loving dog I have ever had; we haven’t brought ourselves to get another just yet, but I am sure we will.

I have known Diane for a number of years and it was her enthusiasm for Wag & Company that initially caught my attention. The concept of using our dogs to make connections with people is brilliant and something I would love to support more directly.

I can see many opportunities to help the Wag & Company network grow and continue the great work that’s already begun.”