Board Members
Alex Plant, Chief Executive
Alex took up the role of Chief Executive on June 1, 2023. He was previously Director of Strategy and Regulation at Anglian Water, where he worked from 2014.
Prior to working in the water sector, he held roles in the Royal Mail, Cambridgeshire County Council, Civil Aviation Authority, HM Treasury and Inland Revenue.
He has also held several non-executive director roles including with NHS Cambridgeshire and Centre for Cities.
Alex is a graduate of Nottingham University.
Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer
Peter was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in 2013 having formerly been Customer Service Delivery Director, General Manager of Asset Planning and Business Performance and General Manager of Operations. Prior to this he held various operational and engineering roles within Scottish Water’s predecessor organisations, East of Scotland Water and Lothian Water and Drainage. He has 38 years’ experience in the water industry since graduating from Heriot Watt University as a Civil Engineer in 1984. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer, gained an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School in 2001 and is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Vice President of the Institute of Customer Service.
Non-Executive Members:
Deirdre Michie OBE
Deirdre was appointed Chair of Scottish Water on 1st January 2024. Deirdre is a senior leader and business executive in the global energy industry with significant experience in both executive and non-executive roles. Deirdre’s experience covered the energy value chain before Deirdre was appointed as CEO of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) in 2015, a position that she held for almost 8 years. During her tenure at OEUK, Deirdre was instrumental in landing the landmark North Sea Transition Deal, aimed at helping to deliver UK net zero by 2050. She was also a leading member of several industry and government forums, including the UK Government’s North Sea Transition Forum, the Fiscal Forum, the Scottish Energy Advisory Board and the Women’s Business Council. Deirdre was also sponsor of the UK AXIS network, aimed at improving gender equality in the workplace. Deirdre is currently a Board member of Opportunity North East Ltd. Deirdre was awarded an OBE for her services to the energy Industry (2018), an Honorary Doctorate from Robert Gordon University (2021) and a Fellowship from the North East of Scotland College (2019).
Iain Lanaghan
Iain is an experienced Non-Executive Director and former Main Board finance director. He is also a Non- Executive Director and Audit Chair of the UK MOD Defence Equipment and Support agency (DE&S) and of the North Sea Transition Authority. His previous Non-Executive Director and Audit Chair roles have included the UK National Nuclear Laboratory. He is also the Lead Non-Executive Director of the UK Supreme Court. Previously, he was Finance Director of FirstGroup plc, Faroe Petroleum plc, PowerGen International and Atlantic Power. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, having qualified with KPMG in London.
Ken Marnoch
Ken has over 35 years' experience working in the energy industry having worked for Shell since graduating from Heriot-Watt University in 1988. Initially based offshore in the North Sea and onshore in Aberdeen, and subsequently 17 years in assignments overseas. His recent roles include leading regional and country businesses in the Gulf of Mexico, USA and Brunei, South-East Asia focusing on corporate responsibility, safety, bottom-line delivery, digitalisation and investment in people. His international career has also included leading Internal Audit, major asset and infrastructure project delivery, strategic planning, managing Government and corporate joint ventures and delivering significant organisational change.
Steve Dickson
Steven brings more than 30 years communications, media and digital experience having worked for BT since 1989. Recent roles included leading teams across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific focusing on global contracts, strategic controls and revenue assurance. He was a member of the leadership team at BT Group Business Services. He is also a non-executive director on the board of the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service and a Member of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. Previously, Steven was a member of the National Executive Committee for the Prospect Union, having occupied various executive positions since 2013 and was a senior negotiator on the BT Pay and Reward Committee from 2006 until his retirement. He also served a three-year term on the governance board of BT’s pension scheme in 2018.
Catriona Schmolke, CBE
Catriona is an experienced Non-Executive Director and Chartered Engineer. She is a Non-Executive Director at the National Physical Laboratory and a Trustee on the Board of the Royal Academy of Engineering, where she holds the role of Vice President. She is a Visiting Professor in Sustainability at the University of Newcastle. Former Global Senior Vice President, with USA-based engineering, technical and scientific professional services company Jacobs. Her career has included leading Safety. Security, Sustainability, Quality and Supply Chain Management across a 55,000 multi-country workforce and delivering purposeful transformation and organisational change. Honoured in 2020 by the National Safety Council of America for her leadership in Safety.
Graham Dalton
Graham is a chartered civil engineer and fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering with 35 years of experience planning, building and operating large-scale infrastructure in the UK, Middle East and Far East. From 2016 to 2022 he was Chief Executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation responsible for the Defence Estate in the UK and overseas. Previously, he was Chief Executive of the Highways Agency where he built the Agency’s capabilities in network operation, asset management and commercial performance before leading the change to a Government- Owned Company - Highways England - in 2015. Graham’s earlier career was spent with consulting engineering firm Mouchel, and with contractor Bovis. Graham is also a non-executive director of Energy and Utility Skills Ltd and a Policy Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Ian McAulay
Ian McAulay is an experienced senior executive in the global water, environmental and energy sectors. Over 40 years he has worked with many utility companies, including Scottish Water, in delivering major infrastructure and operational enhancement investment programmes. In the UK he most recently spent ten years as CEO of Viridor and Southern Water leading all aspects of the businesses. Before that, he was Global Chief of Strategy for MWH living and working across the world. He is Chair of Roydon Recycling and a board member of the Institute of Water and was awarded a Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2020.
