On the move: SGN, Ofwat, Defra

Our latest round-up of appointments across the utilities sectors includes a shake-up at Ofwat with four senior directors appointed ahead of the PR24 process. Meanwhile, SGN has announced its new CFO and there's been a change at Defra’s board.

Ofwat

Ofwat has made four senior appointments to bolster its leadership team ahead of the PR24 assessment process.

Chris Walters has been formally appointed as new Ofwat board member to lead the PR24 process of assessing water company business plans.

Walters official title will be senior director for price reviews. His appointment to the board has been approved by environment secretary, Therese Coffey.

Walters joins Ofwat from NHS England where he has been director of pricing and costing since 2015.

He replaces Aileen Armstrong who has left to take up a new role outside the water sector.

Walters has also held senior roles at the UK’s competition watchdogs, the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition and Markets Authority, including as chief economist.

Elsewhere, Helen Campbell has been appointed as senior director in sector performance, joining from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

She previously worked in director roles across National Grid over a 13-year tenure, latterly as director of strategy, performance and assurance in National Grid Gas Transmission.

Lynn Parker will take up the role of senior director for casework, enforcement and customers after making the switch from a similar role at Ofgem.

And finally, Ofwat has promoted Kate Kendall from her current role as director of future assets and resources to senior director for major projects and markets.

Kendall will take up the role on a 12-month interim basis.

David Black, Ofwat chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Helen and Lynn to Ofwat, and to continue working alongside Kate. All three individuals bring a wealth of talent and experience to their respective roles, and will further strengthen our senior leadership.

“I look forward to working with them as we shape the future of our organisation and its ambition over the coming years to deliver lasting change, for the benefit of customers and the environment.”

SGN

SGN has appointed Simon Kilonback as its new chief financial officer.

Kilonback will be a familiar face for SGN CEO Mark Wild, with the pair previously crossing paths at Transport for London (TfL) where the former also acted as CFO for five years.

More recently, Kilonback has been the CFO of G.Network, a private equity owned full fibre broadband business building a proprietary fibre network in the heart of London.

His finance career has also seen Kilonback hold positions at Lloyds Banking Group, HBOS, WH Smith and Sony.

He will take over from Mick Carmedy, who announced his retirement earlier this year, after six years at SGN and 30 years in the utility sector.

Wild said: “I’m delighted to welcome Simon to SGN and look forward to working together to build a thriving and enduring business.

“He brings a wealth of experience spanning the public and private sectors. I have first-hand experience of working with Simon at TfL and I know he’ll bring passion and commitment to SGN during what is an inspiring, challenging time in the energy sector.

“I’d also like to thank Mick Carmedy for his valued contribution and we wish him well in his retirement.”

Kilonback added: “It is exciting to be joining SGN to help lead the business through the next regulatory cycle and to help shape our role in defining the future of energy in the UK.

“Mark is an inspiring leader with big plans for SGN and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him again.”

Simon will join SGN in September.

Defra

Defra has announced the appointment of Heather Hancock as the lead non-executive board member of the departmental board.

Hancock is the Master of St John’s College in the University of Cambridge and chair of the Royal Countryside Fund.

Prior to being elected Master of St John’s College, Hancock served five years as chair of the Food Standards Agency.

She previously worked at professional services firm Deloitte, where she served as a managing partner for the UK branch and managing director of the global business. In these roles, Hancock provided advice on business strategy and complex programme governance to clients including the international Olympic movement.

In addition, she has held senior roles in Whitehall, local and regional government. She was the chief executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and was a commissioner for a recent inquiry into the needs of remote rural communities in her home county of North Yorkshire.

Environment secretary Therese Coffey said: “Heather’s wealth of experience and knowledge make her the ideal candidate for this role, and I am confident she will provide superb insight as we continue our work to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.”

Business Stream

UK water retailer Business Stream has appointed Gail Cockburn as its people director.

Cockburn has joined Business Stream having spent close to 20 years with whisky distributor Edrington UK  where she held the post of human resources director.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of People Development, Cockburn has been appointed to develop and deliver the company’s new People strategy as well as oversee the company’s dedicated people and development function.

Cockburn said: “I’m passionate about the company’s vision to make a positive difference and hope to bring a lot of experience from my previous positions to help guide and shape Business Stream’s already progressive approach to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for its people”.

Her appointment follows two other appointments to the senior leadership team. Amanda Scovell has been promoted to director of operations after three years as transformation business lead and Tom Abel has been promoted to director of sales after six years as head of commercial development.

Energy and Utilities Alliance

The Energy and Utilities Alliance has announced the appointment of Martyn Bridges as its new president.

Bridges is the director of technical services at Worcester Bosch and has 45 years in the heating industry.

He is highly active in the industry holding a number of positions at various trade associations including, the Hot Water Association, OFTEC, where he has been a board member since 2005, CIPHE, the Heat pump Association and BEAMA. Martyn also chairs the technical panel at the HHIC.

Bridges added: “I am delighted to be taking on this position at such a pivotal time in the heating industry. I have seen first-hand the valuable work the EUA undertakes in the 30 or so years I’ve been involved with the SBGI and now of course the EUA.

“The intention to get to Net Zero by 2050 will involve some seismic changes to all involved and I look forward to the challenge of working towards achieving this.”