South East Water has strengthened its Executive Team with two senior appointments as the UK water company works to place customer engagement and transparency at the centre of its operations.
Katy Ringsdore has joined the company as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, moving from Pennon Group, where she held the role of Group Director of External Communications across the group’s water businesses, including South West Water, Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water and SES Water. A former broadcast journalist with more than ten years of media experience, Ringsdore brings a background in reputation management, political scrutiny and stakeholder engagement in regulated sectors. She will oversee the company’s corporate affairs strategy, bringing together communications, stakeholder relations and reputation management under one function.
Kerri Ricketts has been named Customer Services Director, arriving from a customer excellence leadership role at the UK’s largest rail operator. She will be responsible for frontline customer operations, with a focus on embedding customer insight into daily decision making and improving service delivery.
John Halsall, Chief Executive Officer of South East Water, said: “Our customers and communities need to see a different South East Water – one that listens, communicates openly, and puts customer experience at the centre of everything we do.” He added that trust “will not be rebuilt through words alone; it requires better performance, operational transparency, and a relentless focus on service.”
Ricketts said her priority would be “to be the voice of our 2.4 million customers within the executive team”, while Ringsdore said her focus would be “ensuring our communities have a strong voice” as the company works to rebuild confidence.
The appointments form part of a wider transformation programme at South East Water aimed at improving operational performance and network resilience across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. Ringsdore takes up her role in September 2026, while Ricketts began her post in July 2026.
