Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has appointed two senior leaders for its executive team, rounding off a restructuring drive that began when Roch Cheroux took over as chief executive in January 2026. Kaye Maguire will join later this year as Chief People and Governance Officer, while Christian Irwin OBE takes up the Chief Asset Officer role in January 2027.
The hires come as the utility pushes ahead with a record £4.2 billion investment programme running through 2030, aimed at lifting service standards and environmental performance. That effort has run alongside an internal shake up that has already cut the size of the executive team by half.
Maguire moves from recruitment firm Michael Page, where she has been General Counsel and Company Secretary since 2018, overseeing legal, governance, ESG, regulatory and data protection matters. She previously spent several years at Legal & General, including a stint as Chief Resourcing and Legal Officer for its investment management division, combining HR and legal duties in one post. At Welsh Water she will take charge of people, legal and governance functions along with the company secretariat.
Irwin joins from Network Rail, where he oversees a £1 billion annual capital programme spanning the North West and Central regions. Across an 18 year career in infrastructure and asset management, he has led large scale transformation work in the rail industry and received an OBE in 2022 for his contribution to the sector. At Welsh Water he will be responsible for planning, maintenance and investment decisions across the company’s water and wastewater assets.
Cheroux said the appointments add the leadership depth and change management experience the company needs to raise operational performance and strengthen its culture.
Maguire and Irwin join Mick Jeavons, Steve Wilson, Kit Wilson and Alun Shurmer, who head finance, operations, customer and strategy respectively, to complete Welsh Water’s newly reduced executive team.
