Wessex Water Services Ltd has announced the appointment of two new independent non-executive directors, Kate Mingay and Jim McKenna.

As a corporate finance specialist Kate Mingay brings extensive knowledge and experience of energy and transport infrastructure, in both the public and private sectors, as well as the economic regulatory environment. She has worked on structuring and funding investment in large scale, complex projects in a variety of senior roles.

She was a member of the Major Projects Review Group for HM Treasury, which involves expert scrutiny of major government projects.

She is also the senior independent non-executive director at Mutual Energy, based in Northern Ireland and a non-executive director for Ansaldo STS S.p.A. (now Hitachi Rail STS S.p.A), an Italian rail system engineering company.

Jim McKenna has a background in technology services and he now works with a number of early stage technology companies as both an investor and mentor. In his executive career, he was the chief operating officer at Logica plc, having previously worked for GEC-Marconi and the Plessey Company plc.

He is currently Chairman of the SS Great Britain Trust and Vice-President of Catch22, a social business focused on excluded pupils, prisoner rehabilitation work, apprenticeships and training, that he helped create in 2008 and chaired until early 2019.

Previously Chairman of Parsons Brinkerhoff (Europe) and Chairman of Azzurri Communications, he also chaired the senate at the University of East London and was a member of the government’s Senior Salaries Review Body.

Wessex Water’s Chairman, Francis Yeoh, said: “Our independent non-executive directors play a pivotal role in the governance, strategy and delivery of our services. We are pleased to have a group of outstanding directors and are delighted to welcome Kate and Jim as new non-executives.

“They bring a wide range of experience and expertise, coupled with a track record of operating at the highest levels in both private and public services.

“Their talents will be put to good use as we navigate the fast changing political and economic landscape, taking on new challenges and creating innovative opportunities so we can continue to deliver excellence for our customers, communities and the environment across the Wessex Water region.”