New CEO appointed for South West Water

Keith Haslett will replace Susan Davy

A new chief executive officer of South West Water (SWW) and the Pennon Group has been appointed.

Keith Haslett has been the boss of Affinity Water since 2023, a company that supplies water to parts of London as well as areas of eastern and south eastern England.

The CEO Susan Davy announced her retirement from her position in July, the same month the company agreed to pay a £24m enforcement package over failures to manage its sewer networks.

Mr Kaslett is set to start his new job in 2026 after he has finished his notice period.

'Customer service levels'

Mr Haslett said it was a "critical time" to join with plans to "further improve customer service levels and enhance our environment through an ambitious investment programme to 2030 and beyond".

Before he worked at Affinity Water, Mr Haslett held senior executive roles at Northumbrian Water Group and United Utilities.

David Sproul, chair of Pennon Group, said: "Keith is a seasoned leader in the UK 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 will take on the role a few months after the enforcement package for SWW was agreed following a three-year investigation into its failures in managing wastewater treatment works and sewer networks.

Ofwat said the company did not have adequate management systems to ensure it was meeting its legal obligations in this regard, including oversight from its senior management team and board.

The departing boss received a pay package of £803,000 for the latest financial year after receiving £191,000 in long-term bonuses.

Poor rating

South West Water was rated poor by the water industry watchdog in September over the number of household complaints and the company's handling of them.

The company previously announced average customer bills for this year would go up by 28%.

SWW said it was "doing everything it can to keep bills affordable" and contact centre staff had received additional training.

Cryptosporidium

The water company was also issued a court summons after an investigation into a parasite outbreak in water supply in Brixham, Devon in 2024.

More than 100 cases of cryptosporidiosis were linked to the outbreak, which caused sickness and diarrhoea.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate announced the summons had been issued to the company for prosecution for potential offences under section 70(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991.

The case is listed to be heard on 21 November at Exeter Magistrates' Court.