Welsh Water has appointed the former boss of Australia’s biggest water company as its new chief executive.
Roch Cheroux, who was boss of Sydney Water, from 2019 to March this year, will replace Peter Perry as chief executive of the Welsh Water, which doesn’t have external shareholders
. Mr Cheroux will join the business in October and will take up the chief executive role when Mr Perry - who has a total remuneration, if performance targets are achieved, of £894,000 for the current financial year - stands down next April.
During his time at Sydney Water, Mr Cheroux oversaw a four-and-a-half-fold increase in capital investment. Last year Sydney Water was named the most trusted utility company in Australia.
Prior to his role at Sydney Water, Mr Cheroux was chief executive at South Australia Water Corporation, and prior to that held senior executive roles at SUEZ (in Australia and Asia), United Utilities Australia (in Australia and Asia), Tallinn Water (Estonia) and with the Bouygues Group in France.
Mr Cheroux said: “It is a real privilege to be joining Welsh Water – a company with a clear public purpose and a unique not-for-profit model that puts customers and communities first. Its unique model was a significant factor in my decision to move to Welsh Water. It is a pivotal time for the company and the sector.
“The far-reaching reforms proposed by the Independent Water Commission together with Welsh Water’s ambitious investment programme for the next five years means it’s an exciting time to join the company. I’m looking forward to working with the team, Governments, regulators and our customers, to deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers, communities and the environment.”
Andrew RT Davies Conservative for South Wales Central said:“I wish the new boss of Welsh Water well, and he has a significant job ahead of him to get the provider into a position where it can command public confidence.
“As it stands, with the poor performance of Welsh Water, and with water bills rising, many people in Wales don’t believe the head of this organisation should be taking home hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
With people across Wales struggling to make ends meet, I believe that the pay for the top brass should be more closely linked with performance on issues like sewage leaks and water bills.”
Jane Hanson chair of Glas Cymru, which owns Welsh Water, said: “Roch brings a strong international track record of leading high-performing, customer-focused water companies.
"His experience will be invaluable as we navigate significant change both in terms of the reform of the water sector, but also by working closely with the board to ensure a laser-like focus on performance improvement and that every penny of our customers’ bills is used for greatest impact.
“We are delighted to welcome Roch to Welsh Water at such a critical time for the company. Our rigorous recruitment exercise involved an extensive selection process - and considered high-quality candidates from Wales, the rest of the Ƶ and from around the globe, ensuring that we appointed the best possible candidate to deliver our most ambitious business plan ever.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Peter Perry, whose leadership has been instrumental over the past five years. Under his guidance, Welsh Water has remained resilient through the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the most challenging operational incidents in decades and also increasing environmental pressures.
"On behalf of the board and the wider business, I want to thank Peter for his exceptional contribution and wish him every success for the future.”
