Portsmouth Water has announced that Bob Taylor, who joined the company as Engineering Director less than a month ago on 1 November 2018, been appointed as CEO, with effect from 1st January 2019.
He joined Portsmouth Water as Engineering Director on 1 November 2018 from South West Water, where he was Operations Director, Drinking Water Services.
He was previously the Managing Director of Bournemouth Water, prior to its acquisition by South West Water in 2015.
Neville Smith, Portsmouth Water’s Managing Director, will retire on 4th January 2019 after over 20 years of service with the Company, the last 7 as Managing Director.
Under his leadership, Portsmouth Water has become one of the UK’s leading regulated water companies, delivering the highest levels of customer service and the lowest customer bills in the UK.
Portsmouth Water said Bob Taylor will work with Helen Orton, Director of Finance and Regulation, and the senior management team to ensure that the Company continues to deliver a strong performance against its AMP6 outcomes, whilst refining its approach to delivering the stretching targets included within the recently submitted Business Plan for AMP7.
This includes the initial work on the Havant Thicket Winter Storage Reservoir, which is a leading example of collaboration within the water sector in the South East of England.The reservoir will deliver much needed new resources for neighbouring water company Southern Water, whilst protecting sensitive river abstractions and enabling improvements to both companies’ resilience.
Commenting on the announcement, Mike Kirk, Chairman, Portsmouth Water; said:
“We are delighted that we have been able to appoint Bob, who brings with him a wealth of experience in the water sector, both in the UK and internationally, stretching back over 35 years. This role brings Bob back to his roots in a Water Only Company, which is where he started his career and this experience will ensure that Portsmouth Water is able to continue to lead the industry. I and the rest of the Board are looking forward to working with Bob in his new role.”
Neville Smith’s absolute integrity had helped to instill a culture of “doing the right thing” within the company, Mike Kirk added and “we will ensure that this continued to act as the framework for all that we do in the business.“
Bob Taylor, CEO Elect, Portsmouth Water, said:
“I am eager and excited to be able to lead Portsmouth Water at a critical time in its development. Not only are we preparing for the most significant investment in the Company’s history – the Havant Thicket Winter Storage Reservoir, which is an integral part of our PR 19 Business Plan, but we are also refining our plans for the delivery of all other aspects of the Business Plan with the aim of further improving our performance and delivering the highest levels of service to our customers.”
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