IF you were making a film about Claire Sharp’s life then the opening scene would show the heroine as a child standing outside her family home and tossing a pebble that plops into the sea below.

As a little girl growing up on a cliff top house at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland, Claire recalls waking up one morning, following a night when the shoreline had taken a ferocious battering from the elements, to find the garden fence hanging precariously over the cliff edge. It prompted the council to build some sturdy new sea defences, she tell me over the phone from her office at Northumbrian Waters headquarters at Pity Me on the outskirts of Durham City.

Claire’s job means that her links with water are stronger than ever, but nowadays the view from her house is of moorland and fields since she swapped a life by the North Sea for a home at Stanhope in Weardale, County Durham.

“I never thought I would leave the coast because I loved it so much, but Stanhope is beautiful and I couldn’t be happier,” says the recently appointed customer director, which gives her responsibility for 650 staff and the service to 4.5 million people across the North-East, Essex and Suffolk.

She started her career with the then Northumbrian Water Authority in 1986 as a distribution technician helping to deal with customer inquiries. By the time she was 25 she was a line manager on her way to a career that has seen her take up senior management roles in pretty much every department of the utility company – from operations, to marketing and communications.

Just over a decade ago Claire, 45, returned to frontline customer operations, leading billing and contact centre teams to drive forward Northumbrian's customer service strategy.

Before taking up her latest role, Claire was distribution manager, leading the 380 strong team who look after 17,500km of water network across the North-East and keep quality drinking water flowing.

Last month, she succeeded Ian Donald who has moved to the post of market reform director as the water industry looks towards the full introduction of competition for all business customers by 2017.

“We are one of the best water companies in the country for delivering top quality service. I don’t just benchmark our service against other water companies,” Claire explains, “I look towards the best in the business, such as John Lewis or M&S, as the type of people that we should compare ourselves to. I think in an ideal world we should largely be invisible to our customers, but when they need us we react swiftly with the minimum of fuss to ensure any disruptions are kept to a minimum. We clearly provide a vital service to people across the North-East, but if we are working away quietly in the background to the point when they forget that we are there then I am happy with that.

“As with so many businesses the quality of what we are able to deliver is all about the quality of our people. The best people in any customer facing role have what I call ‘the customer service gene’. If it is obvious that the person who is dealing with you just doesn’t want to be there then something is wrong. It must be pretty miserable to be in a job you don’t like. I want my staff to enjoy what they do and have the emotional intelligence and empathy to care for and connect with their customers.

"I love what I do and I think it shows when you are being helped by someone who enjoys their job. I know that I am in the right place."

FIVE minutes with Claire Sharp, customer director at Northumbrian Water.

Favourite North-East building and why?

I was brought up in Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, not far from Seaton Delaval Hall – designed in the 1720s by Sir John Vanburgh and now owned by the National Trust. It is home of the ethereal white lady and the excitement of ever seeing her when we used to wander the grounds at night was terrifying.

What was your first job and how much did you get paid?

I had two – a paper round after school and washing dishes in a Whitley Bay hotel. I got paid peanuts and it felt like a fortune at the time.

What is the worst job you've had?

I’ve been lucky on the job front, mostly down to working with fantastic people and having a positive approach to life. If you’re going to spend your time doing something, you should always do it with a smile.

What would you cook for me if I came around for dinner?

A late lunch, specifically Sunday Roast at 3pm – an invite always gets visitors to our tiny house in Weardale who leave well fed, happier than when they arrived and more upbeat about the week ahead.

What would your superpower be?

Group teleportation.

Name four people, dead or alive, who would be at your perfect dinner party.

Will.i.am, David Milliband, Joan Rivers and David Ginola.

Most expensive thing you've bought - other than car or house - and how much?

My kitchen and holidays – worth every penny.

Who is the best person to follow on Twitter and why?

@caitlinmoran – funny, frank, fearless feminist who writes for the Times and herself about things others wouldn’t.

Favourite book?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

When did you last cry?

I cry lots –mostly with happiness.

What is your greatest achievement?

My career so far.

What's the best piece of advice in business you've ever been given?

Always put your customers first, be authentic when it comes to leadership and be ambitious when it comes to doing the best you can.

Favourite animal and why.

It will have to be our dogs, Angel (Doberman) and Alfie (cross Patterdale/Jack Russell), unconditional love and always up to mischief.

Most famous person on your mobile phone.

My lips are sealed.

What was the last band you saw live?

Clean Bandit with my niece Olivia.

Describe your perfect night in.

Dancing round the kitchen with close friends and something to celebrate, or as is more often the case, Saturday on the settee with my husband, a great movie and a large glass of red.

In another life I would be...

Editor of French Vogue, or successfully running Newcastle United and giving our world class supporters the success they deserve.

Who would play you in a film of your life

I’m told it would be Julianna Margulies.

What irritates you?

Negativity, poor service and most of all with accomplished consistency Jeremy Clarkson.

What's your secret talent?

If I tell you it won’t be a secret anymore.