Jo Harrison is the Executive Director for Asset Management at United Utilities. She has over 25 years of experience working in the water industry and has worked for United Utilities since 1998.

In her current role she is accountable for leading all strategic planning activity and developing long term plans, including developing and strengthening the Company’s approach to all aspects of the environment, climate change and carbon. Jo also leads United Utilities’ approach to asset management, risk and resilience and land management.

Jo has a BSc in Geography and Ecology from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in Pollution and Environmental Control from Manchester University. She is a chartered member of the Institute of Water and Environmental Managers (CIWEM) and a Chartered Environmentalist. She is also a trustee of the Rivers Trust and a non-executive director for JLEN Environmental Assets – an investment fund specializing in renewable energy and innovative green technology.

Jon Stokes has been Head of Storm Overflows Delivery and Alliance at Yorkshire Water since January 2024. He is responsible for delivering Yorkshire Water’s £1.5bn investment in Storm Overflows over AMP7 and AMP8. Jon’s career started as an Engineer in the Highways sector where he was responsible for delivering projects for a local authority and then for National Highways where he specialised in delivering very large projects through collaborative enterprise routes. Jon is passionate about holistic and nature-based solutions and unlocking efficiency in project delivery by better integration and utilisation of the supply chain. He is leading a new Storm Overflow Alliance for Yorkshire Water that will deploy innovative solutions and maximise partnership working to reduce storm overflows in Yorkshire over the next 10 years.

Richard was appointed Group Chief Engineering Director on 1 September 2022, having joined Bristol Water in February 2018.

Richard is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Institute of Water. He has over 30 years’ experience engineering, constructing and operating water and wastewater infrastructure, having previously held senior roles at other water companies.

Richard was instrumental in the transformation of Bristol Water as Chief Operating Officer. He is passionate about safety and customer excellence embedding leading practices whilst transforming operating and delivery functions.

Richard is also a director of Pelican, a joint venture, providing combined billing services to Bristol Water and Wessex Water customers.

Chris works with communities and clients across the UK and internationally to develop and implement ways in which we can continually improve how we manage water in an integrated way. Over the last 25 years he has focused on reducing the impacts of storm overflows on rivers and seas, developed new ways to manage surface water and reduce flooding, while supporting stakeholders form successful partnerships to achieve multiple outcomes.

Chris has developed multiple industry guidance documents for CIRIA, CIWEM and UKWIR, related to the management of surface water, the application of nature-based solutions (NbS), and the evaluation of the wider benefits of NbS. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management.

Outside of work Chris is working with his co-authors on publishing Urban Drainage 5th Edition. He is a Parish Treasurer for churches on the Manor, Sheffield and is a Public Governor for the Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust. A key focus for involvement with the trust is on mental health service improvements for the people of Sheffield.

Jessica is an innovative, purpose-driven director, chartered engineer and MBA qualified leader with international experience in strategy, sustainability, innovation and STEM talent development. She brings a strong background in strategic planning, public and private sector investment prioritisation, business feasibility and stakeholder engagement. Her unique skillset and technical expertise in strategy enables her to adopt a holistic approach to planning and a collaborative style for effective stakeholder engagement. Jessica’s leadership style empowers her teams to deliver exceptional results, ensuring strategic direction, robust governance, and diversity of thought are central to decision-making. She excels at stakeholder engagement and project assessment, enabling strong collaboration with both commercial and technical partners. Jessica is also renowned in the industry for being a passionate advocate of gender balance initiatives, particularly ones which support women’s development in engineering. This is evidenced by her recognition in Engineers Australia's "100 Engineers Making a Difference" and listed in "Engineers at the Pinnacle of the Profession”.

Dr. Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water, is a visionary leader with a PhD in physical chemistry and a boundless passion for innovation. With a knack for fostering innovation cultures and streamlining processes, she drives purpose-driven innovation strategies. Extensive cross-sector experience, Angela has spearheaded transformative product and commercial innovations across several sectors, including managing billion-dollar FMCG franchise pipelines. Renowned for her strategic mindset and out-of-the-box thinking, Angela is a collaborative force, adept at maximizing ideas and simplifying complexity.

Rob Passmore is the CEO and Co-founder of Additive Catchments, where he leads efforts to enhance global river health through advanced monitoring and interventions. He spearheads the development of Catchment Monitoring as a Service (CMaaS®), a scalable, data-driven solution for continuous water quality monitoring across multiple catchments. Central to this innovation is the patent-pending RiverStations™ range of environmental monitoring installations, which deliver real-time, reliable data with a minimal carbon footprint. By integrating strategic partnerships, regulatory alignment, and cost management, CMaaS® sets new benchmarks in catchment management for the water sector, driving significant environmental improvements.

Rob is also the Co-founder and CEO of Additive.earth, the non-profit ESG Venture Factory and majority owner of Additive Catchments. Additive.earth is dedicated to accelerating scalable solutions that address systemic environmental and social challenges. It transforms promising ESG concepts into market-ready ventures through a strategic approach that integrates technology, partnerships, and innovative funding models. With a focus on digital transformation, green finance, and nature-based solutions, Rob's leadership has fostered impactful collaborations with organisations such as Siemens, AtkinsRéalis, and Galliford Try, driving transformative change across industries and advancing environmental stewardship on a global scale.

Stephen is an experienced executive in the UK Water sector, renowned for his transformative leadership as CEO of the RSE Group of Companies. With an extensive background in engineering and management, his work encompasses strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and digital construction, particularly within the water technology and asset management fields. Stephen's leadership, characterised by emotional intelligence and a commitment to innovation, has led to significant industry advancements and recognition. His strategic initiatives have not only propelled company growth but also fostered a culture of inclusivity and learning. Esteemed by peers for his dedication to excellence, Stephen continues to influence the sector positively. Stephen is also a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Futures Trust and a former President of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors.

Martin has been a key leader at Capgemini since 2007, where he now spearheads the UK water sector business as a Client Partner. In this role, he drives strategic services and fosters long-term business relationships across the sector. Renowned for his ability to forge deep, advisor-based connections with top utilities and public sector leaders, Martin has been instrumental in architecting innovative digital solutions that address complex challenges. His unparalleled understanding of utilities and government procurement processes, combined with his expertise in harnessing Capgemini’s full spectrum of capabilities and intellectual capital, has solidified his reputation as a transformative force in the industry.

Sahil Chaini is an established leader at the intersection of technology and water infrastructure, currently serving as the UK&I Market Director at Transcend. With nearly a decade of experience in the water and SaaS start-up space, Sahil is dedicated to transforming the way critical infrastructure is designed and built. Her work focuses on working with global utilities, engineering firms, and technology providers to adopt digital solutions to enhance the delivery of water services, ensuring that these systems are resilient in the face of climate change and population growth.

Recently relocated from Canada to Ireland, Sahil is actively engaging with the unique challenges and opportunities in the UK and Ireland region. When she’s not convincing engineers that digital solutions won’t replace their jobs, Sahil enjoys exploring new trails, diving into fantasy novels, and traveling the world.

Guy Dulake joined Portsmouth Water in 2021 as Chief Information Officer. Amongst wider responsibilities, he is focused on the delivery of a business wide technology and data transformation. Guy has a strong background in the leadership of technology within utilities, with over 15 years' experience across the energy sector, and prior as a software specialist for IBM.

Most recent successes include the Kraken Technologies partnership, which has seen the rapid development of water capability and deployment of a new CRM into Portsmouth Water, setting the foundations for smart metering and improving digital channels. The partnership has continued with the launch of WaterLabs, a platform for wider industry collaboration addressing core problems through data and AI.

Shaun is a past Chair of the British Water UK Forum, and more recently led the British Water Supply Chain Task Force initiative. Having graduated as an Environmental Engineer, he has gained over 25 years’ experience working in the water industry in the UK and Ireland within the contracting and consultancy sectors. Shaun is currently General Manager of EPS Water, a provider of water and wastewater treatment products and services, and focuses on growth strategy, business development, supplier relationships and continuous improvement initiatives. He is an Advisory Board Member for UK Water Week and a Champion for regional development agency Business South.

Stuart is an experienced business leader with a career spanning over 40 years. He has held senior positions in a number of blue chip organisations including AMEC, Balfour Beatty and J Murphy & Sons. He is a chartered structural engineer although his responsibilities over the last 25 years have focused more on business performance and sustainable growth. Working with tier 1 consultants and contractors has enabled Stuart to build organisational credibility where integration and collective engagement across multiple stakeholders has been key to success at both project and programme level. His trademark in the industry has always been to seek out ways to improve capacity, knowledge and performance. Stuart has been in position with Victaulic for 18 months, where his primary role is to establish the company’s market position in the world of UK water. Victaulic is a global leader providing integrated pipeline build strategies for clients across many infrastructure markets. The firm produces couplings, fittings and valves at its energy-efficient foundries around the world and develops resilient piping solutions for new build and refurbishment programmes including above ground, buried and submerged situations.

Neil has over 30 years’ experience in the utilities sector, covering energy, water and metering and has worked across client-side organisations, large contracting firms and as a Consultant. He joined Severn Trent in June 2021 to focus on building the in-house design capability and preparing the organisation for the significant increase in growth expected in the next regulatory period, AMP8.

A chartered engineer and Fellow of IMechE, Neil is always keen to stress that he is far from an expert in clean or waste water design but knows enough first principles to ask simple but difficult questions…

Tim is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 30 years’ experience gained in major project delivery, business leadership, technical leadership, contracting, Framework and design management on many major infrastructure projects, particularly within the water industry, both in the UK and overseas. For the last 12 months he has been Head of Profession for WSP’s 750-strong Water Business, leading on technical excellence. The role has two main focus areas – the first, to ensure schemes are delivered with the required technical quality, and the second, to shape the offering going forward, by looking up, out and forward to understand what skills and capabilities are needed. He is also part of the Steering Group for the update to CIRIA P3279 - Using Performance Specifications in Construction Projects: Guidance – aimed at opening up markets and projects to the use of modern methods of construction (MMC).

Karma Loveday is founder and editor of The Water Report, an independent publication covering UK water sector policy, regulation, strategy and competition. Karma has 25 years of experience as a journalist covering regulated industries. Karma also works as water advisor to the Major Energy Users Council, and is a non-executive director on the board of Waterwise.

Mark Joined Ofwat in September 2023 as Communications Senior Director overseeing external affairs and stakeholder engagement, digital and design, strategic communications and Internal communications. Before joining Ofwat, Mark was Deputy Director of Communications at Ofgem where he led the communications team, and assisted in the repositioning of the regulator as a key player in delivering net zero and communicating the biggest change to the energy market for 20 years with the introduction of the retail price cap. At Ofgem, Mark was a member of the senior leadership team and helped advise the board on issues relating to policy and corporate strategy. Most recently he worked at FTI Consulting a strategic communications consultancy, as a Senior Director, specialising in energy and water.

Managing Editor for 15 years-plus at WaterBriefing – an online daily news and intelligence service for business professionals with a particular focus on the UK water sector. During that time I have also overseen the publication of a series of reports on the water companies’ successive investment programmes from AMP4 onwards. The fifth report on AMP8 is currently in preparation.

Natasha has worked in water sector media and communications for over 20 years and has covered every issue, usually from the perspective of the innovative and inspiring solutions being brought to bear.

In 2021 she launched Make Water Famous, a not-for-profit positive news platform and brand focussed on bridging the gap between the expertise embedded in the water sector and the public’s awareness of the water crisis. Through storytelling and other creative initiatives, Make Water Famous makes that knowledge available to a much wider audience.

In 2014 Natasha founded WiseOnWater, a strategic marketing and public relations agency working in close partnership with organisations across the global water industry, with a focus on media relations and content creation. The WoW team works with a range of clients, including consultancies, engineering contractors, trade associations, SMEs, technology companies and event organisers.

Natasha started her media career as editor of water trade publications, including Water & Wastewater Treatment, WWTonline and World Water. At WWT, she initiated series’ of round tables and conferences on topics including innovation and asset management.

Natasha has a Social Anthropology MA (Hons) from Edinburgh University, which has been invaluable in understanding this complex sector and the people who work here. She is a member of the Institute of Water.