Advisory Panel Member

The Role:

WaterShare

The Client:

The Client

Like all water companies, South West Water works to a five-year regulated business plan, agreed with Ofwat, to deliver drinking water and wastewater services, and to protect the environment, on behalf of the customers and communities they serve.

They pioneered the introduction of an innovative scheme called WaterShare as part of their highly rated business plan for 2015-20. It enabled them to share their success with customers in an open and transparent way.

Overseen by an independent panel, Watershare has already delivered extra investment for customers, with delivery of further benefits deferred to the start of the next business plan.

The Challenge

An independent WaterShare+ Advisory Panel has been established to protect the interests of their customers and Moon Exec Search were brought in to find further new Advisory Board members.

The Panel provides an independent review of South West Water’s business plan commitments and Board Pledges. We were cognizant that panel meetings would be held quarterly, where possible in public across their area of operation and customers would have the chance to attend and to interact with the Panel.

This was a multifaceted confidential search across the region. New panel members needed to have regard (amongst other matters) to:

the interests of the company’s customers
the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment
the likely consequences and actions of any decision in the long term
the need to act fairly - maintain a balanced view

Our Offering

Vanessa Moon, Founding Director, and Simon Quinn, Director of Search, used their extensive Non-Exec search expertise as well as their broad networks to search thoroughly in the South West.

Key criteria included the fact that candidates had to evidence the following:

demonstrate independence and integrity.
must be balanced in their views.
challenging but supportive.
able to articulate and persuade but not dominate and impose, someone who is emotionally intelligent.
breadth of experience – through skills, careers, and situational experiences (e.g. growth vs recovery, or geographically and culturally), and political and commercial awareness, knowledge of regulated industries is desirable.

understanding of local issues and wide links into the communities they represent.

have a successful board-led track record, including non -executive experience.

Following strategic reach outs, Vanessa and Simon conducted detailed candidate interviews, which helped them draw out motivations and suitability. After careful consideration, they presented a diverse shortlist of candidates for WaterShare+ stakeholders to consider for formal interviews.

The Solution

This was a successful campaign, and three panel members were appointed: Adrian Bratt, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Princess Yachts, Carole Theobald, Chief Executive at iSightCornwall, and Mark Duddridge, Chair of Cornwall Isles of Scilly LEP.

Susan Davy, CEO of Pennon Group, comments, “WaterShare+ needed some highly skilled and committed Advisory Members for the panel. Moon know us so well and discussed our needs in detail before starting the search for us and we were absolutely delighted with the quality and breadth of experience of the candidates they found for us. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Vanessa comments, ’As always, it was a privilege to work with Susan and her impressive team to deliver on this search for Watershare’ and Simon adds, ‘this was a delightful search and one where community and public interest was paramount. We were so pleased with the result and the enthusiasm and commitment of the newly appointed panel.’