Board of Directors
Please see below information relating to the Jersey Water Board.
Committee Terms of Reference are available on request by emailing the Company Secretary.
Heather MacCallum – Chair
Heather MacCallum was appointed to the Board in October 2016 as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee.
Heather qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1995 and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. She was a partner with KPMG Channel Islands for 15 years before retiring from the partnership in 2016. She now holds a portfolio of non-executive directorships, including private companies and charities. She is a non-executive director of Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Heather is also trustee of The Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands and Director/Co-Chair of the Jersey Community Foundation.
In February 2020, Heather was appointed as Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Nomination Committee. She is a member of the Remuneration and Risk Committees.
Heather won the award for Director of the Year under the Diversity and Inclusion category at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Jersey Awards in September 2021.
Donna Abel – Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Donna Abel was appointed to the Board in March 2023 as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
Donna is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. She is the Chief Executive of Jersey Cheshire Home and prior to that was Chief Human Resources Officer at the Channel Islands Co-operative Society Ltd. Donna is the Chair of the Jersey Advisory and Conciliation Service (JACS), an Employer Representative on the Employment Forum and a non–executive Board member of Community Savings. In November 2022, she won the Institute of Directors’ Award for Director of the Year, Third Sector. Donna is a member of Jersey Water’s Audit, Nomination and Risk Committees.
Johanna Dow – Non-Executive Director
Johanna Dow was appointed to the Board in March 2023 as a Non-Executive Director.
A chartered accountant, Johanna has been the Chief Executive of Scottish Water Business Stream Limited since 2014, prior to which she was Finance Director. She was seconded to Business Stream from Scottish Water and before this she was at Scottish and Southern Energy. Johanna is member of the Business in the Community (BiTC) Scotland Advisory Board and Chair of the BiTC Scotland Climate Action Group. She is a non-executive director for the Central Market Agency and also for Market Operator Services Ltd. Johanna is a member of the Jersey Water’s Audit, Nomination and Risk Committees.
Anthony Ferrar – Non-Executive Director
Anthony Ferrar was appointed to the Board in July 2020 as a Non-Executive Director.
Anthony previously held the position of Managing Director at SES Water for 11 years before retiring in February 2020. Before this he spent 15 years as the Finance Director and Company Secretary of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water plc. Having previously worked in a UK and international contracting business and service and manufacturing industries. Anthony is a Chartered Accountant and currently holds the position of Chair of Water UK and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Water Companies Pension Scheme.
Anthony is the Senior Independent Director and is a member of the Nomination, Remuneration and Risk Committees and Chair of the Audit Committee.
Natalie Passmore – Finance Director
Natalie is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Manager and Chartered Director joining Jersey Water in 2010 having worked and having broad experience in several commercial roles in Jersey and overseas.
As Finance Director Natalie provides leadership for the financial aspects of the Company’s strategy and oversees the Company’s corporate services team which includes the Customer Services Department. She is also a Trustee of ArtHouse Jersey.
Natalie is a director of Jersey Water’s subsidiary companies, Handois Holdings Limited and De La Haye Plant Limited.
In May 2019, Natalie won the award for Young Director of the Year at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Jersey Awards.
Michael Pocock – Non-Executive Director
Michael Pocock was appointed to the Board in May 2018 as a Non-Executive Director.
Mike is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over forty-four years’ experience in the water industry with Affinity Water, Veolia, and Thames Water. His roles have spanned all aspects of water engineering and management, having leadership and board level experience within the UK regulated water industry. From September 2018 Mike has been an independent management consultant offering expert advice to the UK water industry.
In September 2018 Mike retired as an executive director of Affinity Water where he was responsible for operational resilience, risk management, asset management and capital investment, drought management, water resource and business planning including liaison with DEFRA, DWI, Ofwat and the Environment Agency. Between 2013 and 2018 Mike was also a Director of the Affinity Water Pension fund. Through his career Mike was a long-term member of the CIWEM Water Resources Panel and contributed extensively to industry technical groups and research through Water UK and UKWIR.
Mike is a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees and Chairs the Risk Committees.
Helier Smith – Chief Executive Officer
Helier Smith was appointed to the Board as Finance Director in October 2003 after joining the Company in 2002. He has been the Company’s Chief Executive Officer since April 2015.
He was previously employed by KPMG in the UK and Jersey where he worked for eleven years in the manufacturing, distribution, and finance sectors. Helier qualified as a Chartered Director in 2010. He became a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute in 2012. Effective from 1 January 2023, Helier has been appointed as a Trustee of Jersey Heritage Trust.
Helier is a director of Jersey Water’s subsidiary companies, Handois Holdings Limited and De La Haye Plant Limited.
Julie Taylor - Operations Director
Julie was appointed to the Board as Operations Director in November 2021 and brings a wealth of experience and technical knowledge support the company in the future.
Julie is a Chartered Process Chemist by profession and an environmental scientist and has had a career as a technical expert within the water sector, both in the UK and overseas, including the roles of Water Operations Director at Veolia Water UK and Water Asset Performance and Operations Director at United Utilities Water PLC. She is also a customer experience leader.
