London and Valley Water says Lord John Hutton will join the board of the debt-ridden firm.
It’s after the government said LVW’s plans wouldn’t be in the best interests of its customers and the environment.
Lord Hutton, a former work and pensions secretary under Tony Blair and later Gordon Brown’s defence secretary, has experience across public policy, energy and infrastructure.
He has also previously chaired the energy industry lobby group Energy UK.
The consortium’s statement said: “Subject to L&VW’s proposals and the Performance Improvement and Turnaround Plan being taken forward, and the completion of Ofwat’s onboarding process for board directors, it is proposed that Lord Hutton would join the Thames Water board as Independent Chair, taking on responsibility for overseeing Thames Water’s 10-year turnaround and comprehensive transformation in the interest of customers, the public, and the environment, working closely with the management team.”
Lord Hutton added: “I am looking forward to being part of the new leadership at Thames Water and helping get this hugely important business into a better place.
“People living in London and the Thames Valley have the right to expect the highest possible standards of customer service and proper environmental stewardship from their water company, and that will be our focus as we look to the future.”
