Gordon Maxwell, who has held the position for the past nine years, announced on Tuesday afternoon that he will be retiring with immediate effect.
He joined the board as chairman in October 2006 following South East Water’s merger with Mid Kent Water, where he had been chairman since 2003.
The company also named his replacement as former United Utilities (UU) non-executive director Nick Salmon, who will start on Wednesday (1 April).
He worked with UU for nine years, and is currently senior independent director of chemicals company Elementis and a non-executive director at construction company Interserve and technology company Acal.
On his appointment, Salmon said: “It’s a great time to join the company as we start the new five-year investment period with a strong ambition to further improve customer service levels and customer satisfaction.”
South East Water managing director Paul Butler said: “On behalf of the company I would like welcome Nick to the team and thank Gordon for his guidance and support over the years.
“We are looking forward to working with Nick as we continue to focus on our customer priorities through our business plan.”