Women on Water

women on water

women on water campaign

The vision of our ground-breaking Women on Water campaign is "empowering empowered women".

The aim of our Women on Water events is to support women in the industry with their career and personal development by presenting them with tools, tips, advice and case studies all underpinned by a message of empowerment and progression. As future thinkers we always have the next generation of leaders in mind. We, therefore take leading the industry seriously and so want to create a place where we can build new skills and harness collaboration to enable innovation.

British Water is committed to supporting your business and this campaign will help drive growth through a focus on the productivity, well-being and advancement of those working within your teams.

Our 'women on water' pledge

British Water has committed to increasing the number of women on its non-executive board and has urged the rest of the industry to follow its lead.

In a bold pledge to ensure equality between its male and female employees, and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, the trade association has set out a series of promises focusing on opportunity, personal development and pay.

Ensuring that 30% of its non-executive board are women by 2025 is one of the promises made – just two women sit on the current board of twelve. Chief executive Lila Thompson said that by acknowledging and addressing the gender disparity, she hoped other leaders would take action to tackle the lack of diversity elsewhere in the UK water industry.

Sponsors & Partners

The campaign includes Women on Water events and initiatives which help women identify, focus on and harness their strengths and understand their value and worth. Our strength lies in our partnerships with leading organisations which share our vision and drive to see transformation in the industry and individual lives.

Our Sponsors & Partners

Invest in the future of the water industry

We are delighted to have Jacobs, MOSL, South West Water, Xylem, GHD and WNS as sponsors of the campaign and to collaborate with organisations such as the Womens Utilities Network (WUN). We have also joined forces with WWT’s annual Water Industry Awards to create initiatives which actively support future applications for the ‘Women in Water’ category.

Womens Utilities Network (WUN) Mentorship Programme

Due to the growth of our Women on Water campaign, British Water is proud to be partnering with Womens Utilities Network mentoring programme. WUN offers mentoring to women at any stage of their career in the utilities sector and that are WUN members. Our Mentors have a range of skills and experience that they can share. Learn more about WUN.

Seasoned leaders of under-represented groups and their allies

become a Womens Utilities Network (WUN) mentor or mentee

Helping you advance your career in water

Whether as a mentor or mentee, this is a fantastic opportunity to make new connections in the industry, move further forward in your own career, as well as support the water sector in its journey to becoming a more diverse and progressive sector.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a Mentor or Mentee with our partner Womens Utilities Network (WUN) click here.

Become A Mentor or Mentee

What Our Mentors & Mentees Say

"Great experience, truly transformational. I would highly recommend the program to other women, especially mid-career. I got the most value from one to one mentoring sessions with a senior executive matched with me. We managed to dissect my career journey and came up with a plan for potential next steps for me to follow. Mentoring outside of your organisation provides a different perspective on career possibilities and progression. 30% club is a great initiative, and I wish more women would have access to it!"

"I had a promotion during my time on this programme thanks in part to the interview training I had with my mentor. This has been invaluable to me in supporting my professional development. Thank you British Water for sponsoring me in this programme"

"Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this scheme. I have built my career in the Water Industry and the opportunity to be mentored by a senior leader from another industry has been really valuable. I have learnt how transferable leadership skills truly are and the support and advise my mentor has given me has helped me grow in the current role. I have really valued having someone to challenge me and encourage me to reflect on my progress over the past 9 months."

"I really enjoyed meeting such brilliant women. The topic-based discussion in a relaxed setting was great. For me, just getting to know people a bit better, connecting with friendly faces and making some new allies was so valuable too. "

Conversation Streams

Thought Leadership+ Series

Hosted by British Water's Chair, Dr Mark Fletcher FREng,Thought Leadership+ focuses on expanding the understanding of key challenges to help shape the future of the industry.

Watch More

Deep Dive Blogs

Deepen your knowledge into key topics following our engagement with water industry key stakeholders

Spotlight Sessions

Our Spotlight Sessions bring an organisation or topic into the spotlight to address key issues faced by the water and wastewater community. *events coming soon*

Supply Chain Task Force

This group assess and reports on some of the key challenges that the water sector supply chain faces in the areas of procurement, innovation and cyclicality.