Mike Hellings

Managing Director, Viridor

Mike Hellings, Managing Director of Viridor and past Chairman of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), has more than 25 years experience in the waste industry.

A trained engineer, he became involved in the waste industry in the early eighties. He started full time in waste at Viridor (then Haul Waste) in 1985 where he was area manager and tasked to turn around the fortunes of the company's transport fleet and landfill assets in Dorset. The challenge was managed with success and this helped secured him the position of operations manager for the company in 1990.

In 1994, he was appointed as managing director of the company - a year after it had been acquired by utility firm Pennon. The company expanded rapidly through the nineties and changed its name to Viridor in 1999. Under his leadership Viridor has grown its turnover from £20 million in 1994 to well over £500 million today. Today it is one of the UK's leading recycling, renewable power and waste management companies.

Part of the FTSE 250 Pennon Group, Viridor provides the full range of recycling and waste services including advanced materials recycling, glass reprocessing, composting, mechanical/biological treatment, waste to energy, transport, collection, and safe and efficient landfill disposal. The company handles c.10.5 million tonnes of material each year, recycling two million tonnes and generating 101 megawatts of renewable energy.

All sites and services are operated under the company's business management system incorporating ISO14001 (Environmental Management), ISO9001 (Quality Management) and OHSAS 18001 (Health and Safety) standards, and formally accredited by BSI.

Viridor has recently won the 'Innovation in Design' (as part of a joint venture) and 'Best Partnership with Local Authorities' categories in the DEFRA-sponsored Awards for Excellence in Waste and Recycling. It is a 'beacon status company' for its partnership working with waste and recycling services beacon councils (the Beacon scheme recognises excellence and innovation in local government).