Northumbrian Water chief Heidi Mottram has been appointed as a non-executive director at Centrica.
Mottram, who has been chief executive of Northumbrian Water since 2010, will take up the role on 1 January 2020.
She will also become a member of the safety, health, environment, security and ethics committee, as well as the nominations committee.
She has previously served as managing director of Northern Rail from 2004, and before that she was commercial director of Arriva Trains Northern and operations director of Midland Mainline from 1999 to 2003.
Speaking of her appointment Centrica chairman Charles Berry said Mottram “brings considerable relevant strategic and operational experience acquired in her current and previous roles”.
“Her deep understanding of the importance of customer service, delivered in complex multi-stakeholder environments with a high public profile, is particularly pertinent to Centrica, at this time, as it focuses on the delivery of its customer-centric strategy”, he added.
Ombudsman Services
Elsewhere in the sector Ombudsman Services, which runs the Energy Ombudsman scheme, has appointed its first director of regulatory affairs.
Ed Dodman joins from BT, where he oversaw commercial and regulatory strategy for the telecoms firm’s consumer business. 
Prior to this, Dodman held operational and regulatory roles at the UK’s largest water supplier, Thames Water.
Central to Dodman’s role at Ombudsman Services will be ensuring that the interests of businesses and consumers “continue to be recognised and accounted for” as part of ongoing industry discussions on the future of regulation in these sectors.
Matthew Vickers, chief executive at Ombudsman Services, said: “Ed brings with him a wealth of experience from two of the largest regulated companies in the essential services space.
“His appointment forms part of the wider transformation of our business and strengthening of our senior leadership team.”
Welsh Water
Glas Cymru, the parent company of Welsh Water, has announced that Debra Bowen Rees has been appointed as a non-executive director, effective 1 January.
Bowen Rees replaces Menna Richards who retired in June after serving the company as a non-executive director since 2010.
Bowen Rees is also the chief executive of Cardiff Airport and has held a number of senior positions in the military.
Glas Cymru chairman Alastair Lyons said: “Debra brings a wealth of experience and strategic and operational skills that are very relevant to our business.
“Her experience of managing substantial and ambitious change and investment projects will be invaluable as we tackle the long-term challenges set out in our strategic vision, Welsh Water 2050, while ensuring we continue to deliver a high-quality and affordable service to our customers.”
Bowen Rees said: “Having led the Cardiff Airport team since 2014, I have overseen a period of huge transformation in a tightly regulated industry; all experience that I can now bring to Glas Cymru over the coming years.”