The parent firm of South West Water has appointed a new chief executive. Keith Haslett will take over the top job at Exeter-based Pennon Group, which also includes Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water and SES Water, next year.
Mr Haslett is currently head of Affinity Water and has also held senior roles at Northumbrian Water Group and United Utilities, where he led large-scale water and wastewater operations, overseeing multi-billion-pound asset portfolios and capital programmes.
He is also a Chartered Civil Engineer and holds an MBA from Queen's University Belfast.
"I am delighted to be joining Pennon Group at such a critical time to further improve customer service levels and enhance our environment through an ambitious investment programme to 2030 and beyond," said Mr Haslett.
"My focus will be to ensure that Pennon delivers on the expectations of all customers, stakeholders, and regulators."
Pennon's current boss Susan Davy announced her retirement in July after 18 years working for the company and five as its chief executive.
David Sproul, chair of Pennon Group, said Mr Haslett had been appointed to the FTSE-250 firm following a "rigorous" search process.
"Keith is a seasoned leader in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ water sector, bringing over 25 years of experience across regulated utilities, with a strong track record of driving operational excellence, delivering complex capital programmes, and increasing shareholder value," he said.
"On behalf of the board, I would also like to thank Susan Davy as she retires from Pennon. She has made an exceptional contribution to the group over the last 18 years, having led and executed a transformational growth strategy.
"Pennon has grown by over two-thirds under her tenure as CEO and secured its largest ever investment programme for our customers and communities."
The news comes just days after Pennon announced it had returned to profitability. Bosses stressed last week that trading between April 1 and September 25 means the company is on track to meet expectations for the current financial year.
Last month Pennon-owned South West Water was told by the regulator that it would need to pay out £24m over failures linked to wastewater spills.
Cornwall's business owners slammed bosses at South West Water in August over a "lack of transparency" when water supply issues arise.
