Matthew Vickers will step down from his role as group chief executive at the Energy Ombudsman at the end of 2023. He has been with the ombudsman since 2015 including its transition to the Trust Alliance this year.
Simon Palmer will assume the role. Vickers said of Palmer: “He has been at the heart of the changes we’ve made over recent years to set the foundations for the future. The talent, spirit and togetherness of over 700 people means the Group, and those who we serve, can be confident about what’s ahead.”
Jonathan Kini has been reappointed to Ofwat’s board, with his term set to run until November 2027.
This is Kini’s second term at the water regulator, he also serves as a non-executive director of regulation at Ofgem. Most recently he has worked as managing director of TalkTalk’s consumer division and mergers and acquisitions. Previously worked at Virgin Media and Vodafone as well as Drax Plc.
Steve Buck has been appointed to the board of Pennon Group ahead of assuming the role of chief financial officer from the end of this month. Buck replaces Paul Boote as CFO, who will leave the company after 13 years.
Buck is moving from Anglian, where he held the position of CFO and sat on the board for four years. He previously worked across the energy sector.
He said: “I’m very much looking forward to joining Pennon Group, a listed business with a strong track record in the water sector, with its future investment plans and planned growth in environmental infrastructure.”
Utilita Giving, the charity started by Utilita Energy to give aid, tools and advice to lift homes out of fuel poverty has a new executive director. Helen Boardman was appointed this week and announced a £5 million fund to help households experiencing financial hardship. Boardman was head of voluntary and community partnerships at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council.
She said: “The affordability crisis is biting hard, so there is no time to waste. I’m excited about delivering a strategic vision for the charity to further its aim of supporting people in food and fuel poverty across the nation.”
Water retail market operator MOSL has named Cliff Kamara as joining its board from January. He will bring 20 years’ experience of executive management in information technology and strategic management in both the public and private sector around the world. He currently sits as chair of the board at defence tech company Rowden and on the advisory board at Newcastle University.
South West Water’s director of natural resources Carolyn Cadman has joined the board at research centre, the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste. CREWW is a joint-venture between the water company and the University of Exeter for research into environmental challenges, it was conceived two years ago and is due to open in March. Cadman oversees catchment projects at the water company, which will complement the role at CREWW to continue work with land managers to drive raw water quality improvements.