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Mon, 22 Jun 2026

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 South East Water announces new chief executive

John Halsall has previously worked for Thames Water, South West Water and Network Rail.
John Halsall, a former executive at Thames Water, South West Water and Network Rail, has been appointed as the new chief executive designate of South East Water (SEW). He will take over from David Hinton, who resigned in May after the company was heavily criticized for repeated water supply failures in Kent and Sussex. Halsall's priorities include responding to customers' immediate concerns and delivering short-term improvements, as well as implementing SEW's largest ever investment program of £2.1bn to improve reliability and resilience. MP Mike Martin said that bringing in leadership from outside the organization is a "right decision" after years of managed decline. He hopes this marks a genuine turning point for the company. SEW has faced criticism over issues affecting 286,000 people in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023, leading to proposed fines of £22m by regulator Ofwat. Halsall's predecessor Hinton will leave SEW after a handover period, while the company has £1.3bn worth of debt and raised prices by an average of 7% from April.