Inside IMS: Darren White

Customer support in any industry is a challenging but rewarding job. It requires a blend of technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and great customer service – all things that Darren White brings to his role at IMS in spades as a Level 2 Dev Ops Engineer. But more than that, Darren embodies the IMS ethos of ‘Better Choices Made Possible’ and extends the company’s focus on food waste reduction for customers into his personal life as blog writer and social media persona, ‘Watford’s Green Grandpa’.

In this episode of Inside IMS, and on this year’s Stop Food Waste Day UK, we learn about Darren’s career at IMS as well as his personal sustainability passion.

For IMS, Darren is the man behind the curtain, working hard to keep our software running smoothly for both our end customers and internal users.

“A typical day always begins with checking and prioritising new support requirements from customers and our internal teams. Once any support needs are resolved between myself and the team, I shift my focus to work on projects or other assigned tasks. This can be anything from developing or installing applications for customers, to assisting team members with their workload or other internal needs.”

Darren plays a crucial role in identifying and rectifying any challenges in our software and he feeds this back into the business to ensure the continued evolution and excellence of our product. The outcome of Darren’s role? Customers receive quick, professional, and best-in-class support to overcome complications and drive continued value.

When asked what he enjoys most about his role, Darren replied:

“I enjoy that the role is extremely varied, no two days are ever the same! But, as an advocate for sustainability, I also really appreciate and am proud of how our solution and the work that IMS does with our customers helps them to mitigate food waste and reduce energy consumption to ultimately reduce their carbon footprint.”

Knowing that IMS is making a positive impact on the world is incredibly motivating for Darren and it's one of the things that he loves most about working at IMS Evolve and is a core focus for him outside of work too.

As the official ‘Watford’s Green Grampa’, Darren and his partner, Jo (AKA ‘Watford Green Grandma’) have built a sustainability-focussed community across social media and blogs to raise awareness of the amount of unnecessary and avoidable food waste that is created in the home.

 “On the blog we share thoughts, ideas, and recipes, on reducing food waste in the home. We actively encourage others to share their ideas with us and the rest of the Watford’s Green Grandma / Grandpa’s growing community. By sharing the knowledge we have learned – and are very much still learning – we truly believe that together we can make a difference.”

Darren and his partner Jo have always been environmentally conscious, but after becoming grandparents, their passion for substantiality was elevated.

“We wanted to not only reduce our own carbon footprint, but actively make a better environment for our grandson to grow up in. Until early 2022, like so many people, we believed that recycling alone was enough to look after the planet. We are consistently reminded of the importance of this ‘R’ when the others go by hugely overlooked: Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and then, finally, and only as a last resort, Recycle.”

For Watford’s Green Grandparents, the goal is to continue learning and sharing knowledge with as many people as possible. They are involved in two local community sustainable projects, Feeding Our Futures - Urban Orchards, and The Random Café and Sustainability Shop, both of which promote sustainable practices and reduce waste.

And if this doesn’t sound like Darren has a full plate already, our sustainability superhero still finds time for walks with his Golden Retriever, Honey, visits to the Lake District and all things Star Wars, topped off by a glass or two (or maybe even a bottle…) of red wine and – of course – good food.

It’s hard to not feel inspired by Darren’s commitment to his work and his passion for reducing food waste. He's an asset to the IMS team, and we wish the Watford Green Grandparents all the best in their fight for sustainability.

How can you reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle at home to minimise your waste? Head over to Watford’s Green Grandpa / Grandma to find out more. Whether you're an avid cook or just looking for ways to make a difference in the world, their blog is a must-read!

Website: watfordsgreengrandma    /       watfordsgreengrandpa

Or follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the below:

Twitter:@GreenGrandmaUK    / @GreenGrandpaUK

Instagram: watfordsgreengrandma  / watfordsgreengrandpa

Facebook: Watford's Green Grandma | Watford | Facebook