Change of leadership announced at Yorkshire Water
The Chief Executive of Yorkshire Water is to retire after nine years at the helm of the utilities provider.
Yorkshire Water Services, and its ultimate parent company Kelda Holdings, confirmed that Richard Flint would retire as Chief Executive with effect from 12 September 2019. He will be succeeded by Liz Barber, who is the current Chief Financial Officer.
Flint has been with the company since 1992 and joined the Board in 2003, becoming Chief Executive in 2010.
Barber has been Chief Financial Officer since 2010, having joined the Company from Ernst & Young where she held a number of senior partner roles. She is also a lay member and trustee of the University of Leeds and a non-executive director and Chair of the Audit Committee at KCOM Group.
Anthony Rabin, Chairman of Kelda Holdings Limited and Yorkshire Water Services, said: “I would like to thank Richard for his exceptional leadership of the company over the last nine years and wish him the very best for the future.
“Richard has been pivotal in guiding the business through a period of very significant change during his tenure and leaves the company well prepared to deliver in future. I would also like to particularly thank Richard for his assistance in ensuring a smooth transition to his successor.
“I am delighted that Liz has agreed to take over as Chief Executive, following an open recruitment process through which Liz was the outstanding candidate.
“She has already made a major contribution to the company in her current role and most recently has led the company’s long-term strategy development and its business transformation programme.
“She has also been central to Yorkshire Water’s work to make our finances more transparent by, for example, the removal of our previous offshore structures.”
Flint said: “As the end of my second five-year price cycle as Chief Executive comes to a close, I believe now is the right time in the regulatory calendar to step down.
“It has been a huge honour to serve as Chief Executive for nine years and after 27 years with the company I wish all our great colleagues, board members and customers the very best for the future.”
Barber said: “It is a great privilege to be given the job of leading Yorkshire Water. We have an excellent business plan for the next five years and we need to ensure that delivers all it can for our customers and the environment.
“We have a major part to play in responding to climate change, both by reducing our own carbon impact, and also in changing our operations to deal with its consequences.
“We are central to the fabric of Yorkshire and I am committed to ensuring we play a full part to contribute to the inclusive growth of the county.”
