My Experience As An Early Career Non Executive Director On The WIF Board

In 2024, The Water Industry Forum (WIF) Introduced A New Opportunity For Participants In WIF’s 6th Team Challenge To Apply For A Non-Executive Director Role On WIF’s Board. This Offered A Great Opportunity To Gain Board Experience And Have A Say In  WIF’s Strategic Direction. Following Her Appointment As The First “Early-Career” Non-Executive Director On The Water Industry Forum’s Board, Katrina Cullen Reflects On Her First Year In The Role.  Applications For This Year’s NED Role Will Be Open To Participants Of The 7th WIF Team Challenge In June 2025.

Katrina Cullen, WIF Non-Executive Director And Integrated Water Management Lead At United Utilities

If I had to sum it up in one word: Learning! I joined the WIF board in October 2024 and the board welcomed me with open arms – I am their first early career non-executive director (NED), and this has been my first experience of a board position. I didn’t really have much idea of what a NED or board does beyond ‘make decisions’, but I’ve had training and mentorship to help me get to grips with the role – from reviewing board papers, attending board meetings, helping guide WIF’s strategic direction for the next 12 months at a strategy day, suggesting ideas, reviewing finances, and as I suspected, making decisions!
I’ve been challenged to think more strategically, and think about time, resources, and priorities from a new perspective. This has been really valuable for my day job as an Integrated Water Management Lead at United Utilities, as it has taught me to put myself in a director’s shoes and think about what information they need to make decisions. It also helps me to write better board papers, now that I’ve had the experience of being on the other side reading them! I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and look forward to seeing a new early career NED join the board in October.