Following the announcement that David Black is to stand-down from his role as Chief Executive, the Board of Ofwat has announced that it has appointed of Chris Walters, currently Senior Director, Price Review as the Interim Chief Executive from 30 August 2025.

Recognising the decision by government to establish a new, integrated water regulator into which Ofwat will transfer, Ofwat's Board has made changes to Ofwat's leadership structure to reflect the transitionary nature of its work going forward.

Chris Walters will be tasked with providing leadership for the organisation, as well as leading the engagement process with government and industry, as the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission (IWC) are taken forward. Improving effective regulation is vital for customers and the protection of the environment and is a critical part of restoring trust in the sector.

In addition to the appointment of an Interim Chief Executive, Helen Campbell has been appointed as the Executive Director, Delivery – she is currently Senior Director, Sector Performance at Ofwat.

In her new role, she will take responsibility for ensuring the delivery of the recently sanctioned £104 billion five-year expenditure programme, progressing the £50 billion pipeline of major projects and stabilising Thames Water as quickly as possible. Given the strategic importance of this work and the need to maintain momentum on these issues, Helen Campbell will report directly to the Ofwat Board.

The appointments will take effect from 30 August 2025.