22 July 2010
Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, and Dame Deirdre Hutton CBE, Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), have been appointed to the Board of Thames Water Utilities Ltd as Independent Non-Executive Directors.
Before becoming Chief Executive, Mr Richards was Ofcom's Chief Operating Officer, having worked previously as a senior government policy advisor on media and telecoms.
Dame Deirdre, former Chair of both the National Consumer Council and the Food Standards Agency, also sits as a non-executive member of the Treasury.
Sir Peter Mason KBE, Chairman of Thames Water, which serves 14 million customers in London and the Thames Valley, said:
"Ed's and Deirdre's in-depth knowledge of regulation will be invaluable to us as the largest and leading water and wastewater services company in England and Wales.
"Their experience in customer service will also help us further enhance the delivery of a high-quality, trustworthy service to our customers."
On 1 September Willem Smit will step down after serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director and nominated "customer champion" at Thames Water since its acquisition by the Kemble consortium in 2006.
Sir Peter added: "I want to thank Willem for his commitment and support to the company through what has been a period of significant change and improvement in performance to our customers."
