Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) has appointed three new Independent Non-Executive Directors (iNEDs) to its Board, as two current iNEDs reach the end of their formal term of office in May this year.

The incoming iNEDs, who were formally appointed to the Board in April 2021, also bring vast knowledge from leading positions both within the utilities industry and from other sectors.They are:

Richard Sexton, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants who held a number of roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, including Lead Partner on a range of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 clients and Vice Chairman, Global Assurance. Richard is a Non-Executive Director of the International Integrated Reporting Council and Co-Chair designate of the Value Reporting Foundation.

Alan Bryce, a past Managing Director of both ScottishPower energy Networks and ScottishPower Generation, has also worked as an advisor within the utilities sector. He is a current and past Non-Executive Director with a number of utility firms, largely in the energy sector, including Scottish Water, Infinis Energy plc and Viking Energy Shetland, where he was Chair.

Bridget Rosewell, who brings extensive experience in cities, infrastructure and finance. She is currently a Commissioner for the National Infrastructure Commission, as well as Chair of Atom Bank and the M6 Toll Company, having worked on HS1, Crossrail, Crossrail 2 and HS2. As well holding leadership positions in Network Rail and Ulster Bank, Bridget was also formerly Chief Economic Advisor to the Greater London Authority.

During many years of committed service to the business outgoing iNED, Margaret Fay, has championed the voice of customers at board level, attending the Water Forum challenge group and many customer engagement events. The company is also grateful to Simon Lyster, who leaves a legacy as a strong advocate on environmental issues, sharing his expertise on biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

Andy Hunter, Chairman of Northumbrian Water Ltd, said:

“Independent Non-Executive Directors play a very important role on our Board, calling on their vast experience in a wide range of relevant fields to help and constructively challenge management and their fellow Directors to run the business efficiently while delivering the best service possible for our customers.“Margaret and Simon have given great service to Northumbrian Water and its people and customers, and I would like to express my personal gratitude to them, as well as that of the whole Board, for helping shape so much of what we do now and our plans for the coming years.“We look forward to working with Richard, Alan and Bridget and we are certain that we will benefit greatly from their input as we drive our business forward through challenging, yet exciting times.”