PEOPLE OF XYLEM: Joanne Grundy, Senior Engineering Technician
“I wake up each moment looking forward to what I can do to support Xylem, and our mission to solve water challenges and create a more sustainable world.”
Finding the Connection Between Profession and Passion
Growing up in Manchester, UK, Jo-Ann Grundy marveled at her father’s expertise as an electrician – the way he could fix virtually anything – and admired how he took his passion for technical problem-solving and made it into a career that provided for her and her family. She soon learned as a kid observing him in the field that she also shared a technical mind, and – inspired by her father – she chose to follow her passion as well. After school, Jo-Ann enrolled in an electrical apprenticeship program through the Royal Airforce, where she built her technical skills, while helping blaze trails for other women engineers.
As a child, Jo-Ann also developed an early interest in nature and conservation. Today, on any given weekend, Jo-Ann can be found educating herself on the world’s endangered coral reef systems, while cultivating reefs in her 220-gallon, at-home aquarium.
When Jo-Ann discovered a new opportunity at Xylem as a Senior Engineering Technician last year, she knew she found a place that provided the perfect intersection between her love for water conservation and for engineering. “The more I learned about Xylem, the more I felt that the company truly seemed to go above and beyond in supporting communities through water, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she recalls. “Our efforts in promoting sustainability through our solutions and services, and also through initiatives like our corporate social responsibility program Xylem Watermark are simply inspiring.”
On a typical day, Jo-Ann is applying her technical expertise to solve water challenges across the Peterborough area, supporting the installation, removal and/or ongoing maintenance of pumps in dry and wet wells in homes and businesses – sometimes up to three different locations a day. “Each day looks different, and I thrive in that environment,” she beams. But there’s a common thread throughout Jo-Ann’s work: with every challenge she solves, she’s helping ensure the people in her community have the clean water access they need.
“Working in the water industry is one of the most rewarding things a person can do,” Jo-Ann says. “I wake up each moment looking forward to what I can do to support Xylem, and our mission to solve water and create a more sustainable world.”
She adds, “As I learned from my father, when you work at a job that taps into your passion, it becomes more than a profession – it’s a calling.”
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