Meet our executive team

Career experience:

Louise became CEO of United Utilities in March 2023, bringing to the board a wealth of experience leading utility and infrastructure businesses both in the UK and internationally.

Louise has worked in the United Utilities group for more than 20 years, in both water and electricity environments, with a strong track record in driving transformational change and service improvements for the benefits of customers, stakeholders and the environment.

Louise’s strategic vision and relentless customer focus will continue to drive improved services for the benefit of all stakeholders in the North West.

Other roles:

• Non-executive director of Water UK
• Non-executive director of Water Plus Limited – joint venture with Severn Trent
• Vice President of Institute of Customer Service
• Northern Power Women – ‘Power List’
• Non-executive director of the UK Engage for Success Foundation
• Member of the 30% Club

Career experience:

Phil has extensive financial and regulatory experience across multiple utility businesses and was appointed CFO of United Utilities in July 2020.  Benefiting from more than 25 years’ experience in the two principal finance roles of Group Controller and Group Treasurer, Phil leads all aspects of technical finance and corporate governance faced by a FTSE 100 listed business. 

He is both a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and previously a member of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group from 2015-2020 and chair of its Rate Regulated Activities Working Group.

Other roles:

• Board member UK Endorsement Board
• Chair of Pensions Committee, The 100 Group 
• Non-executive director of Water Plus Limited – joint venture with Severn Trent

Career experience:

Simon has held senior operational and transformation roles across United Utilities and has an extensive knowledge of all aspects of water and wastewater activities from front line to central operations. With responsibility for digital services and a background in customer relations, Simon established United Utilities’ Integrated Control Centre spanning central operational activities in customer, operations and maintenance systems and was appointed COO in 2023.

Simon is focused on ensuring the company maintains and improves its water and wastewater service provision and implements a robust digital strategy that underpins and supports its ambitions.

Career experience:

As Strategy, Policy and Regulation Director at United Utilities, James has lead accountability on all economic regulation strategy and compliance issues as well as being programme director for the quinquennial price reviews.

James has extensive experience of investment banking, corporate advisory, consultancy, government regulation and the sectoral trade association from his previous roles at Ofcom, ABN AMRO, PwC and at Water UK.

A Chartered Accountant and economist, James is responsible for regulatory reporting and compliance for company obligations set and enforced by Ofwat, key regulatory submissions including the company’s price review and leading regulatory and compliance strategies.

Career experience:

Before joining United Utilities, Simon worked in private practice and then in-house in other industrial sectors, including aerospace and automotive. He has huge experience in all matters infrastructure and has overseen the transformation of United Utilities from a multi-national multi-utility/outsourcing conglomerate into the core water focused business that it now is.

Simon has overall responsibility for any legal, governance and compliance issues affecting United Utilities and leads the legal and company secretariat functions. In his time at United Utilities, Simon has been involved in all the group’s corporate transactions and restructurings and led the supply chain function in 2019/20. He is also responsible for security governance (physical as well as cyber) across the group.

Other roles:

•   Vice-chair of GC100 and co-chair of its competition law work stream

Career experience:

Jo is accountable for leading United Utilities’ environmental and asset strategy for the business for the next 25 years, including developing and strengthening the company’s approach to asset management, resilience, climate change and environmental regulation.

Jo is an environmental scientist and has worked in a variety of operational, planning and strategic roles for United Utilities over the last 20 years. Before joining the company, she worked in environmental consultancy, specialising in renewable energy. Jo is a chartered member of CIWEM and a Chartered Environmentalist through the Society for the Environment.

Other roles:

• Non-executive director at JLEN Environmental Assets, a FTSE 250 company investing in renewable energy and sustainable technology
• Trustee of the Rivers Trust
• Trustee of Greater Manchester  Environment Fund

Career experience:

A communications and public affairs specialist, responsible for the company’s internal and external communications, public affairs, media, corporate responsibility and stakeholder engagement strategies, Gaynor joined United Utilities from what was then international multi utility company ScottishPower.

Operating in the energy, electricity and water sectors during a period of mergers, acquisitions and divestments in the UK and US, Gaynor was Government and Community Affairs Director at ScottishPower, and responsible for integrating its CR strategy and reporting across the six US states where it operated. Prior to her career in utilities, Gaynor was a senior communications adviser to a number of UK central Government departments, having begun her career as a newspaper journalist. 

Other roles:

• North West Business Leadership Team board member

Career experience:

A Chartered Surveyor, Paula began her career in Property & Estate management, gaining a wealth of experience managing large and varied property portfolios, leading operations teams and customer service delivery in a regulated environment.

Paula has responsibility for United Utilities’ health, safety and wellbeing strategy and culture change, where she has achieved sustainable improvements in safety performance. She is passionate about improving wellbeing and is a mental health first aider. 

Paula also oversees the land management strategy for the 56,000 hectares of catchment under the company’s stewardship both from a safeguarding water quality perspective as well as providing access and recreation opportunities for communities across the North West.

Other roles:

• Paula is a Trustee of the United Utilities Pension Scheme
• Northern Power Women – ‘Power List’

Career experience:

Adrienne joined United Utilities in 2022 as People Director. Prior to that Adrienne was Chief People Officer before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Newcastle University where her remit included Digital, H&S Property and Estates Management.

Adrienne has held a variety of senior HR roles, including at Utilitywise plc, Nestle UK Ltd and as interim Group Chief People Officer at The Sage Group plc, a FTSE 100 business. Her track record is about innovating, shaping and delivering the people strategy in key enabling areas such as employer brand, talent acquisition, inclusion, leadership development and reward, and working with CEOs and senior business leaders to achieve delivery of organisational goals and maximum performance through people.

Other roles:

• Member of the Delivery Board for the Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership
• Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development

Career experience:

Mike joined United Utilities in January 2023, bringing with him a wealth of experience in service, commercial and supply chain from over 20 years working in the Infrastructure and Telecommunications industries as well as being a chartered Arbitrator.

Previously Managing Director of Customer Service for BT’s Enterprise division, Mike was responsible for all business to business services, delivering the 999 service and providing customer services to over £6bn of revenue - a role he won Customer Experience leader of the year for in 2022. Prior to this, Mike was responsible for all supply chain operations of the BT Group and then also led the Civil Engineering and Supplier Management strategy for Openreach. Before BT, Mike worked as a Commercial Director for Balfour Beatty – building on an early career in commercial management. 

Career experience:

Jane was appointed as Commercial, Engineering and Capital Delivery Director in 2023, responsible for the commercial directorate as well as Engineering and Capital Delivery division, to deliver the company’s £2 billion capital programme.

Before joining United Utilities, Jane was Operations Director at Royal Mail, responsible for the north of the UK’s field operations, Capital Delivery Director at Severn Trent Water, and the first female Chief Engineer at Network Rail. 

In May 2016 Jane was nominated into the Top 20 inspirational women in rail, in July 2016 she was included in the Daily Telegraph’s Top 50 women in Engineering and in 2017 was in the Financial Times and Cranwell’s 100 women to watch.  

Other roles:

• Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Board Member of Northern Marine Group
• Trustee to the Scout Association