Water Matters 2025

Rachael Steller is the Resilient Infrastructure Lead at the Climate Change Committee (CCC). She leads the team’s analysis of the water and wastewater, energy, ICT, transport, and waste sectors for Adaptation Progress Reports and the Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment.

Read Rachael’s blog >

Climate Change Committee adapting to climate change report >

Water Commission publishes interim findings >

Mike Barry is a renowned sustainability expert with a proven track record of driving positive change. As the former Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, Mike played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s industry-leading sustainability program, Plan A.

Mike’s expertise extends beyond retail. Through his work at Mikebarryeco, he helps businesses of all sizes to integrate sustainability into their core operations. He is particularly passionate about supply chain sustainability, recognising the significant impact that businesses can have on the environment and social issues. A sought-after speaker and advisor, Mike shares his insights and experience to inspire and empower organisations to act on sustainability. His unique blend of business acumen and environmental passion makes him a valuable asset to any event.

Read Mike’s blog >

Toby Robinson is a renowned open water swimmer and advocate for clean water. With a distinguished career that includes multiple World and European Championships, as well as appearances at the Commonwealth Games and the Paris 2024 Olympics, Toby has proven himself as one of the world’s top swimmers.

Beyond his athletic achievements, Toby is passionate about protecting and revitalising our waterways. His first hand experience with the challenges facing our rivers has inspired him to act. Currently, he is working to restart the centuries-old swimming race in the Thames, known as the ‘Lords and Commons Cup’. Additionally, he is in discussions with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, regarding his initiatives to clean up the river and establish publicly accessible swimming zones, demonstrating Toby’s dedication to creating healthier and more inclusive water environments for all.

Read Toby’s blog >

Theo Thomas is the founder and CEO of London Waterkeeper, a dedicated advocate for London’s rivers and waterways. With a passion for environmental justice, Theo has been instrumental in raising awareness of water pollution and inspiring action. Theo’s expertise in water conservation and advocacy has made him a sought-after speaker at events worldwide. He has shared his insights and experiences at prestigious organisations such as Patagonia, Surfers Against Sewage, and the Waterkeeper Alliance. Beyond his work with London Waterkeeper, Theo is an experienced communicator and storyteller. He has a knack for making complex environmental issues accessible to a wide audience.

Waterscan is supporting London Waterkeeper as its 2025 Charity of the Year. Staff are volunteering on sewer analysis, pollution investigations, and mapping projects, while also collaborating with Royal Holloway and UCL on GIS mapping. Through these efforts and fundraising, Waterscan aims to improve London’s waterways.

Find out more about the London Waterkeeper and Theo’s talk here>

Helena Soteriou-Hains is the Head of River Catchment Strategy at Thames Water, where she brings over nine years of experience in water management and environmental stewardship. She leads the company’s flagship Smarter Water Catchments initiative, piloting a collaborative framework to improve the health of rivers and surrounding environments through cross-sector partnerships. Helena now spearheads the development of Thames Water’s long-term strategy for river catchments, advocating for holistic, partnership-driven approaches to overcome the sector’s most pressing challenges.

At Water Matters 2025, she will share insights on how genuine collaboration drives impactful, lasting change in river health and sustainable water management in her Market Matters session, “£20m River Health Fund: Celebrating cleaner catchments.”

Read Helena’s blog >

On Tap: Episode 3 – River Health >

Aaron Burton is an internationally recognised leader in sustainable water management. He has worked in the UK, Australia and other countries across water company, NGO, consulting, academic, regulatory and government roles. This has included projects joining up water and energy efficiency, climate change adaptation and resilience, embedded water, water sensitive urban design/ integrated water management and developing pilot projects to provide evidence for policy and strategy changes. He led the award-winning 2017 Water Efficiency Strategy for the UK and co-authored the 2009 Water Resources Strategy for Wales. He is Chair of the International Water Association Efficient Urban Water Management Specialist Group, was a member and Theme Leader of the 2018 and 2021/22 IWA World Water Congress Programme Committees, the CIWEM Water Resources Panel and Mayor of London’s Water Advisory Group. He is a Fellow of the RSA, Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, Chartered Environmentalist and a Charted Scientist. 

Find out more about Arron’s talk here >

Shaun is a Director at Ofwat, where he specializes in utility regulation and regulatory economics. With a career spanning key regulatory bodies, he previously held economist roles at Ofcom and Ofgem, focusing on improving market performance and customer outcomes – including a dedicated period at Ofcom addressing customer-facing issues. 

At Ofwat, Shaun oversees policy development for the business retail market, ensuring the regulator meets its obligations in this space. His current responsibilities include leading work on market incentives, market monitoring, and retail price protections. 

In his Market Matters session, Shaun will explore “State of the Market: Steps Toward a Sustainable Water Future,” sharing insights on how regulation and market frameworks can drive long-term sustainability in the water sector. 

Find out more about Shaun’s talk here >

Rick Hill brings a unique outsider’s perspective to the water sector as a member of MOSL’s Strategic Panel, where he helps shape long-term innovation and consumer-focused policy. His varied career – spanning consumer advocacy, media regulation, and creative industries – equips him with fresh insights on driving change in essential services. Previously, as Chair of Ofcom’s Communications Consumer Panel, Rick championed user needs in regulated markets, advising government and industry on fair outcomes. His leadership roles have honed his ability to challenge norms and foster collaboration across sectors.

Martin Woolhead is a Deputy Director at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where he plays a key role in shaping the government’s strategy for the future of the water industry. With extensive experience across Defra and environmental policy, Martin focuses on balancing sustainable water use with the needs of consumers, businesses, and the environment. 

Trained in International Law (LLM, LSE), he brings a rigorous analytical approach to complex regulatory challenges, ensuring policies are both practical and forward-thinking. His work is critical in driving demand management initiatives, helping the UK prepare for long-term water resilience amid climate change and population growth. 

In his Market Matters session, Martin will explore “Where Does Demand Management Fit?” Examining the government’s plans to optimize water use while securing a sustainable and efficient water sector for the future. 

Read Martin’s blog >

Liz is an environmental professional with over thirty-five years’ experience in the sustainability and environmental sector. She has a wide range of knowledge and experience in the sector, from work as an environmental manager in the wire rope and steel industry, through to sustainability management in the electrical contracting sector. For the last 2 years she has been the Head of Environment for leading convenience food manufacturer, Greencore, where she leads a small central team providing environmental support to food factories and distribution facilities in the Greencore Group. Liz has a keen interest in all things water-related and become the plan owner for water, under Greencore’s Better Future Plan, developing and sharing the water strategy across the business.  

During her career, Liz has performed both hands-on and strategic roles, varying from hands-on monitoring of groundwater, landfill leachate, industrial effluent stack sampling and sample analysis, through to waste and resources management and social value initiatives. 

In her Action Matters session, Liz will explore “Water strategy implementation: Successes, challenges and the importance of employee engagement.”

Read Liz’s blog >

Greg is a CSR manager with experience across various sectors. Currently working for Elis driving their ambitious consumption reduction objectives in support of their business approach providing circular and sustainable service solutions to customers. 

In his current role, Greg’s responsibilities include driving the group CSR strategy in the UK, coordinating the rollout of strategic projects and trials, and engaging and training other stakeholders on key sustainability topics. 

Join Greg at his Action Matters session “Trade effluent pilot: Innovation, challenges & lessons.”

Read Greg’s blog >

Environmental Benefits of the Elis Model >

Gareth Jones is a designer, engineer, and inventor.  Originally trained as an engineer at Rolls-Royce he went on to study design at the Royal College of Art in London.  Upon graduation in 1991 he moved to Somerset and started working for a then unknown inventor, James Dyson.  Over the course of his 15 years with Dyson he helped design the iconic DC01 cyclonic vacuum cleaner and was closely involved in the design of many other ground-breaking Dyson products. 

More recently Gareth’s successful design and innovation consultancy, Fresh Works Ltd, has innovated for many global blue-chip companies but now focusses almost exclusively on the development of water filtration technologies to reduce environmental pollution.  The patented range of centrifugal Unio filters is being developed to help industrial and municipal customers reduce the amount of harmful particulate matter discharged into the environment. 

In his Action Matters session, Gareth will be exploring “Trade effluent pilot: Innovation, challenges & lessons.” 

Read Gareth’s blog >

Gareth Jones is a designer, engineer, and inventor.  Originally trained as an engineer at Rolls-Royce he went on to study design at the Royal College of Art in London.  Upon graduation in 1991 he moved to Somerset and started working for a then unknown inventor, James Dyson.  Over the course of his 15 years with Dyson he helped design the iconic DC01 cyclonic vacuum cleaner and was closely involved in the design of many other ground-breaking Dyson products. 

More recently Gareth’s successful design and innovation consultancy, Fresh Works Ltd, has innovated for many global blue-chip companies but now focusses almost exclusively on the development of water filtration technologies to reduce environmental pollution.  The patented range of centrifugal Unio filters is being developed to help industrial and municipal customers reduce the amount of harmful particulate matter discharged into the environment. 

In his Action Matters session, Gareth will be exploring “Trade effluent pilot: Innovation, challenges & lessons.” 

Read Gareth’s blog >

Theo Thomas is the founder and CEO of London Waterkeeper, a dedicated advocate for London’s rivers and waterways. With a passion for environmental justice, Theo has been instrumental in raising awareness of water pollution and inspiring action. Theo’s expertise in water conservation and advocacy has made him a sought-after speaker at events worldwide. He has shared his insights and experiences at prestigious organisations such as Patagonia, Surfers Against Sewage, and the Waterkeeper Alliance. Beyond his work with London Waterkeeper, Theo is an experienced communicator and storyteller. He has a knack for making complex environmental issues accessible to a wide audience.

Waterscan is supporting London Waterkeeper as its 2025 Charity of the Year. Staff are volunteering on sewer analysis, pollution investigations, and mapping projects, while also collaborating with Royal Holloway and UCL on GIS mapping. Through these efforts and fundraising, Waterscan aims to improve London’s waterways.

Find out more about the London Waterkeeper and Theo’s talk here>

Sandra is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Fellow of IEMA, and alumna of the One Planet MBA with the University of Exeter. She has been with Southern Water since 2021, initially working in Future Growth then moving across to her current role of Water Resources Strategy Manager to lead the team responsible for their Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) and Drought Plans. She has just published their final draft WRMP24 and Statement of Response following the consultation last year and this has brought into sharp focus the need to work closely with all water customers to build a commitment to reducing demand.

‘It is vital that we find ways to prioritise water in all our business decisions so I’m bringing together my sustainable business experience with my more recent achievements of a Masters in Planning and Urban Leadership and a Certificate with the Institute of Asset Management to help rethink how we value water.’

Sandra has just returned from a photography trip to New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville and loved capturing water in all it’s forms from mountains to the sea.

‘I’m passionate about making a difference because water is fundamental to a healthy environment and healthy lives and of course, without water there is no business!’

With nearly 13 years of experience at Southern Water, Martin has built a diverse and well-rounded career across multiple areas of the business. His journey began with the Universal Metering Programme (UMP), followed by leadership of the Technical team and a central role in Planning and Scheduling. In 2016, he transitioned into Wholesale Services as a Retailer Relationship Manager, where he developed a deep understanding of the retail market and customer needs.

Today, he leads the Wholesale Services team, where they are dedicated to delivering exceptional service to retailers and, ultimately, to business customers.

‘My focus is on fostering strong partnerships, driving service excellence, and continuously improving the customer experience.’

Outside of work, Martin enjoys spending quality time with his two children (aged 10 and 7), exploring Portugal on family holidays, and staying active through cycling and badminton.

Dublin-born, Anna Sadlier-McBarron is a chartered accountant who has been working in the water industry for over 12 years. She has been the Charges Manager at Southern Water for 4 years, after 8 years in the finance team, and now plays a key role in driving innovation through charging to support the company’s AMP 8 goals of sustainability, affordability and customer-focussed service.

Anna is leading the discovery and planning stage of the “Fair and sustainable drainage charges” project currently underway. She will be sharing more details about that at Water Matters, along with future plans for water efficient tariff trials with both non-household and household customers

Ashley heads up customer service at Southern Water having spent 17 years in the water industry leading customer service and operational teams through performance turnaround and business transformation. His responsibilities have included customer services, digital transformation, strategy, business growth and culture change. He was responsible for preparing Southern Water for the opening of the non-household market and overseeing customer experience for the industry’s first compulsory metering programme.

Water Resources Management Plan – Southern Water >

Securing a resilient future for water in the South East >

Alison joined Anglian Water in 2017 and moved into Developer and Wholesale Market Services 5 years ago.  Her initial focus was considering how they can enable sustainable growth through working with their developer customers, as well as considering and developing their strategy for business demand, working with retailers.  She is currently Head of NHH Market Services, running both Developer and Wholesale teams.

Jo’s water career started at an Environmental consultancy collecting field data to model the impact of sea outfalls.  From there, she joined Anglian Water and learnt more about water treatment which included completing a MSc in water pollution control technology at Cranfield University, then later moved to Cork (Ireland) gaining experience in tendering and design of wastewater treatment plants.

On return to the UK, Jo re-joined Anglian in the role of senior process engineer and spent 15 years working with large water and trade effluent Business Customers. When the non-household market opened in 2017, she moved back to the Wholesale side of the business as Technical account manager, supporting their Retailers and NAV customers. She also works closely with their Project teams in Smart metering and Water Resources seeking ways to unlock water savings in the NHH market through collaboration with retailers.  This has lead to her current role of Business Demand Strategy Delivery Manager.

John is a Chemical Engineer, graduating from UMIST in 2025. He started out designing water and wastewater treatment plants for a large consultancy, before moving to a series of smaller contractors specialising in trade effluent reuse plant design, prior to joining what was at the time known as “Anglian Water business customer services”. This became WAVE, following the wholesale/retail split. During his time at WAVE, he was involved in all things water and wastewater related from a technical view point, within factories. John then moved to AWS as a “Growth Liaison Manager”, predominantly working with housing developer customers. In the last 12 months he has been working increasingly with NHH customers, due to his background.

Zach joined the water industry in 2016 starting at a water retailer with a focus on the Scottish NHH market.

He has been with Anglian Water since 2018 starting as a Wholesale Service Centre Advisor with a focus on trade effluent market data and has been in his current role as a Wholesale Technical Account Manager since October 2019. Since January 2025 he is now supporting the management of Anglian Water’s Wholesale Service Centre with a drive to improve quality whilst also achieving a market leading position in the new metrics of the Market Performance Framework to support BR-MeX for retailers and NHH customers.

Sally has over twenty years’ experience working in the environment and sustainability sector.  She has been responsible for non-household demand reduction at Thames Water since joining the company in 2013 and has led the delivery programme through the changing water retail market. 

Responsible for all projects within the company focused on reducing unnecessary water consumption on commercial properties, Sally has developed and led a suite of programmes that help businesses to achieve this.  These include the Smarter Business Visit programme, where plumbers are sent to premises to fit water efficiency devices and fix internal wastage, and the non-household water calculator, to help businesses better understand their consumption and how they may reduce it. 

In addition, Thames Water are heavily investing in smart meter installation on business properties and Sally has spearheaded new projects to utilise this data to drive down demand by tracking continuous flow. This highlights potential leakage and wastage at a property level that can be investigated and eliminated.

At Severn Trent, our main goal is to protect this essential resource for the future. That’s why sustainability is central to who we are. We care for both people and the planet, because protecting water also means supporting life and the natural systems that depend on it.

Your experts

Stephanie Tucker – Market Strategy Manager
Leanne Towers – Water Efficiency Engagement
Denise Burnham-Smith – Project Manager

Eleanor is a trusted sustainability advisor with a focus on water stewardship and environmental governance. She works with partner organisations on a variety of projects and leads Waterscan’s research initiatives, turning complex data into strategic insights that shape industry thinking.

Beth is a sustainability consultant specialising in embedding water into broader ESG strategies. She works with organisations to translate sustainability commitments into actionable change, combining data, policy and practical implementation. She leverages her extensive experience in climate, reporting, mathematical modelling and process analysis to deliver data-driven intelligence for Waterscan’s clients.

Rebecca is a highly experienced sustainability leader with over a decade of consultancy expertise. As Head of Sustainability at Waterscan, she supports organisations in tackling complex water risks and embedding resilience into long-term business strategies.