South East Water CEO-designate John Halsall has been appointed to help accelerate improvements in customer water supply, as the company faces pressure to rebuild reliability and trust.
South East Water has announced John Halsall as Chief Executive Officer-designate, effective immediately.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Halsall will succeed David Hinton, who had previously announced his resignation. Hinton will leave the business after a period of handover.
The appointment comes at a critical time for South East Water, which supplies drinking water across parts of Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
The company has faced scrutiny over supply interruptions and customer service. In May, South East Water announced Hinton’s resignation, saying he would remain in post to allow an orderly transition while the board searched for a replacement.
South East Water CEO-designate appointed amid supply concerns
Halsall brings more than 35 years of operational and executive leadership experience in public and private sector infrastructure organisations.
His previous roles include positions at South West Water, Network Rail and Thames Water. He served on the board of South West Water, was Chief Operating Officer at Pennon Group and was an executive member of Network Rail, where he ran rail infrastructure in the South East of England.
South East Water said Halsall has experience of delivering transformation programmes while directing operations, asset management, capital delivery and strategic performance.
Lisa Clement, Interim Chair of South East Water, said: “I am delighted to welcome John Halsall as CEO-Designate. South East Water faces significant challenges and customers, communities and stakeholders rightly expect better. John brings a strong track record of delivering transformation programmes, operational leadership and a clear commitment to transparency and improvement across different industries.
“Over the coming weeks, we will be working closely with our regulators to ensure that all necessary approvals are in place for the succession to CEO. The Board is confident John will bring the energy, direction and focus needed to accelerate progress and deliver the reliable service our customers deserve.
”At the same time, we would like to thank David Hinton for his long service and commitment to South East Water over the past 25 years and wish him the very best for the future.”
Company faces pressure to improve drinking water reliability
South East Water’s leadership change follows a period of operational and regulatory pressure.
Ofwat has proposed a £22m fine for repeated supply failures between 2020 and 2023 and has opened a separate investigation into supply interruptions affecting customers in Kent and Sussex in late 2025 and early 2026.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said in May that South East Water needed new leadership after disruption to customers and concerns about the company’s response to service failures.
The company has also pointed to its investment plans. In a recent response to Moody’s ratings action, South East Water said it planned £2.1bn of investment between 2025 and 2030 to support customers across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
Halsall says priorities include immediate customer concerns
John Halsall, CEO-Designate, commented: “Subject to necessary regulatory approvals, I am looking forward to leading South East Water at a critical point in the company’s history, when customers and communities are rightly demanding a much more reliable and efficient water supply.
“My priorities are clear: responding to customers’ immediate concerns around their water service – delivering immediately on the short term improvements we can make both today and over the coming weeks and months.
“In the longer term I am excited by the opportunity to deliver the company’s largest ever investment programme of £2.1 billion. I see this investment as a vital step to underpinning the provision of the public water supply, improving reliability and resilience in the south east.
“In parallel, I want to see business performance transformed and am committed to modernising South East Water through smarter technology to meet future drinking water supply requirements across our network.
“I look forward to working with our customers, community partners, regulators and colleagues to rebuild trust in South East Water, drive the improvements the business needs to deliver and make the changes people want to see.”
Appointment follows wider scrutiny of water company performance
The appointment comes as water companies in England and Wales face closer scrutiny over performance, resilience, customer service and investment delivery.
Ofwat’s regulatory work has increasingly focused on service failures, financial resilience and whether companies are delivering for customers and the environment.
South East Water’s next phase will be closely watched by customers, regulators and local stakeholders as the company seeks to improve supply reliability and rebuild confidence.
For wider coverage of UK water company performance and regulation, visit H2O Global News’ Legislation & Governance section.
Source: South East Water
