Meet the board

Ruth joined Wessex Water in 2016 after a legal career in London and Bristol, specialising in competition law issues across a broad range of sectors and clients.

With extensive experience dealing with legal, compliance and governance matters, Ruth previously held the positions of Chief Compliance Officer and Group General Counsel before moving into the Chief Executive role in October 2024.

She was appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in September 2022 and is a board member of our joint billing company. Ruth is also a trustee of WaterAid and a local charity.

Andy has more than 30 years of financial and regulatory experience in the water sector. In his time at Wessex Water, he has been the Managing Director of our water and sewerage business and Director of Regulation and Customer Services.

Andy is now our Finance Director, as well as a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Wessex Water board.

He is also Co-Chair of Pelican Business Services, a founding member of the Environmental Markets Board and Chair of Wessex WaterAid.

Matt, who joined Wessex Water in 2016, has worked across strategy, regulation, operations and commercial in the aviation and water sectors.

With extensive experience in capital-intensive and regulated industries, Matt held a range of roles at Heathrow Airport, including as Head of Operational Planning for the opening of the new £2.5bn Terminal 2.

Matt now leads strategy across the business from water resources to bioresources. He has also led significant legislative and regulatory reform for the industry and is on the board of the West Country Water and Environment Group.

Emma joined Wessex Water in 2024 after 25 years at the Environment Agency, where she was Area Director for the Wessex area and performed other executive leadership roles.

Emma has worked extensively with the water, agriculture, waste and nuclear industries at a senior level, playing a leading role in handling some major flooding and environmental incidents.

As our Director of Environment, Customer and Compliance, she utilises her extensive senior public sector experience and excellent operational knowledge to develop and deliver outcomes for the environment and customers.

Stephanie joined Wessex Water in 2023, bringing with her extensive operations management, business transformation and change management experience.

Prior to the water industry, Stephanie served 12 years as an Electro-Mechanical Engineer in the Royal Navy. Since then, she has worked in various roles in the water sector, gaining 15 years of experience.

Before she was appointed as Director of Water Supply, Stephanie led our Customer Water Networks teams, playing a key role in overseeing the distribution of water to 1.4 million people every day.

Ashlea has worked at Wessex Water for more than 20 years, holding various senior leadership roles across our Operations department.

With a background in electrical engineering, he utilised his skills in a number of technical roles before moving into leadership. Some of his key posts include Director of Water Production and Director of Water Supply.  

Ashlea is also a Fellow and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Management Institute, a Member of the Association of MBAs and an Incorporated Engineer of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Eddie joined Wessex Water in 1990 as a Pipeline Technician and has worked his way up. His diverse experience includes performing engineering, project management, contract management and construction roles.

As the Director of Engineering and Asset Management, Eddie is now responsible for the delivery of our business plan and internal infrastructure.

He is responsible for developing, strengthening and implementing the company’s asset management approach. He is also a member of the YTL Academy Advisory Panel.

Jim has a background in technology and services, working with a number of early-stage technology companies as both an investor and mentor. In his executive career, Jim was the Chief Operating Officer at Logica PLC having previously worked for GEC-Marconi and the Plessey Company PLC.

Appointed to the Board of Wessex Water Services Limited in June 2019, he became the Senior Independent Director in November 2020 and Deputy Chairman in 2024. Jim is a member of the nominations, remuneration and audit committees and Chairman of the YTL/Wessex Academy.

Jim is also the Chairman of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and vice-president of Catch22, a social business he helped create in 2008.

Previously Chairman of Parsons Brinkerhoff (Europe) and Chairman of Azzurri Communications, Jim also chaired the Council at the University of East London and was a member of the Government’s Senior Salaries Review Board.

Kate Mingay is a corporate finance specialist with three decades of experience across regulated utilities, transport, and energy infrastructure. Kate began her career at UBS and Goldman Sachs, later becoming Director of Corporate Finance at the Department of Transport. She was a member of HM Treasury’s Major Projects Review Group, which involves scrutiny of major government projects.

Appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in June 2019, Kate was appointed Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee in August 2020. She is also a member of the remuneration, nomination, and environmental and public value committees.

Kate is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of HRL Morrison and Co, a leading global infrastructure fund manager. She was previously the Senior Independent Director at Mutual Energy, a Non-Executive Director at Ansaldo STS S.p.A. (now integrated into Hitachi's global rail business) and a Trustee of the British Science Association. She is actively involved in economic and corporate finance consulting, including being a Senior Adviser at Cambridge Economics Policy Associates. She currently advises Ofgem in the offshore energy transmission sector, having previously advised on new nuclear and carbon capture sectors.

Tim’s career began in broadcasting at the BBC where he was Editor of Newsnight, Panorama, and Head of Current Affairs Programmes. He then went on to executive roles at Channel 5 and Channel 4 TV. Tim has held several senior roles across a variety of commercial, regulated and consumer sectors.

Appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in January 2020, Tim is a member of the audit and risk and nomination committees. He is also a member of the Environment and Public Value Committee. In 2021, Tim was appointed Chair of the Health and Safety Committee.

Tim was previously the Chair of the Consumers Association (Which?). He was also a non-executive member of the Ofcom board from 2008 to 2015. Tim was also the Principal of St Anne’s College at the University of Oxford from 2004 to 2016. Tim was most recently the Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation from 2016 to 2024. He is a member of the Council for the University of Birmingham and the Arts and Humanities Research Council at UKRI.

Kevin has extensive experience in the banking and finance sectors having spent four decades working for Barclays Bank in various senior leadership roles in the UK and overseas. Kevin retired from Barclays Bank in 2020 and his last role was as CEO and Board member of Barclays European subsidiary, as well as being a member of the Barclays Bank PLC executive committee.

Appointed to the Board of Wessex Water Services Limited in January 2021, Kevin is a member of the Audit and Risk, Health and Safety, Environment and Public Value, Remuneration and Nomination committee, as well as chairing the Pension Trustees Board. Kevin also acts as a senior adviser to Panmure Liberum (an investment bank) and a board observer at Zero Gravity (an online educational platform), while also chairing FreeMarket Ireland (a payments provider).

Kevin was previously a Non-Executive Director for Which? Limited and the Business Growth Fund. He also served as a Trustee Director for the Barclays Pension Fund.

Sarah has over thirty-five years of experience in environmental, land use and public health policy. As a former senior civil servant, she worked in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Cabinet Office and Department of Health.

She was involved in negotiating, developing and implementing national, European and international policies on water, flooding, climate change, global health, the rural economy, farming, forestry and land use. From 2018 to 2024, Sarah was Director General of the Country Land and Business Association, representing 26,000 rural businesses.

Appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in January 2025, Sarah chairs the Environment and Public Value committee. She is also the Non-Executive Chair of the UK Water Partnership, Co-Chair of trustees at the Earth Trust (an environmental charity in Oxfordshire) and a member of the advisory committee of Holkham National Nature Reserve.

Sir Francis has been Managing Director of YTL Corporation Berhad, Malaysia, since 1988 and was appointed as Executive Chairman in June 2018. He was appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in May 2002 and chairs the nomination committee.

He has been Managing Director of YTL Power International Berhad since October 1996 when he was appointed to the board as an Executive Director. Since June 2018, he has been the Executive Chairman of YTL Power International Berhad. Under his stewardship, YTL Corporation Berhad Group has grown from a single listed company into a global integrated infrastructure developer encompassing multiple listed entities, including YTL Corporation Berhad, YTL Power International Berhad, Malayan Cement Berhad, YTL Hospitality REIT, Ranhill Utilities Berhad and Starhill Global Real Estate Investment Trust.

He is a founding member of the Malaysia Business Council and Malaysia's Capital Markets Advisory Council, a member of The Nature Conservancy Asia Pacific Council and a Global Council member of the Asia Society. He served as an independent non-executive director of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited for 10 years from July 2012 to June 2022.

In 1997, Sir Francis was awarded the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia for his services to the nation which carries the title “Tan Sri”. In 2019, he was awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to strengthening UK-Malaysia bilateral relations.

Hong is the Managing Director of YTL Power International Berhad (YTLPI), the parent company of Wessex Water. He has been an Executive Director of YTLPI’s parent company, YTL Corporation Berhad, Malaysia since 1985 and spearheads the group’s investments in utilities, infrastructure and digital businesses. He is also the Managing Director of the YTL Group’s construction and telecommunications divisions.

Hong has been a director of Wessex Water Services Limited since May 2002, a member of the nomination committee and also chairs the remuneration committee. He is also a trustee of the YTL Foundation.

Mark is the Executive Director responsible for the YTL Hotels and Resorts division. He was appointed to the board of Wessex Water Services Limited in July 2003 and is a member of the remuneration committee. He joined the YTL Group in 1989 and serves on the board of YTL Corporation Berhad, YTL Power International Berhad, YTL Land & Development Berhad, and YTL Cement Berhad.

Mark is also an Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pintar Projek Sdn Bhd and the Manager of YTL Hospitality REIT. He graduated from King's College, University of London with an LLB (Hons) and was subsequently called to the bar at Gray's Inn, London in 1988. He became a fellow of King's College London in July 2014.

Hann heads up the investments, digital and infrastructure portfolio of the YTL Power Group.

A graduate of Oxford University with a Master of Engineering in Engineering Science, Hann also sits on the board of YTL PowerSeraya Pte Limited in Singapore and is the President Director of Tanjong Jati Power Company in Indonesia.

Hann led the team that set up Geneco (now Singapore’s largest energy retailer), YTL Data Centres, and a new digital banking venture in Malaysia.

He has been a Director for Wessex Water Services Limited since August 2012.

With over 30 years of experience in the city, David has an in-depth knowledge of corporate finance and corporate governance. David has held directorships in a wide variety of sectors, including engineering, construction, retail and investment management. He was previously Deputy Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Deputy Chairman of The British Library, and Chairman of The Maudsley Charity.

David assisted YTL Corporation with its acquisition of Wessex Water in 2002 and since then has been a director of Wessex Water Services Limited. David formerly chaired the audit and risk committee and is also a director of Wessex Water Limited, the holding company for Wessex Water Services, and YTL Land and Property Limited. He also chairs the YTL UK Audit Committee.