The Board of Directors
The role of the Board of Bazalgette Tunnel Limited is to govern the Company and hence the Thames Tideway Tunnel Project, such that the company delivers on its objectives, including the successful delivery of the Project.
The Board is collectively responsible for the long-term success of the Company and delivery of sustainable value to shareholders. It sets the strategy and risk appetite for the Company and approves and monitors plans presented by management for the achievement of the Company’s strategic objectives and targets.
The Board is composed of 10 directors, eight of which are non-executive, with four being independent non-executives in compliance with the UK Code on Governance and as required by Ofwat, the regulator.
Non-executive Directors
Sir Neville Simms FREng is a Chartered Civil Engineer. He is currently Chairman of Tideway, a Bazalgette Tunnel Limited company. He was previously Chairman of International Power plc for ten years, until the combination of the group with the international power generation assets of GDF Suez early in 2011, at which time he became Deputy Chairman of GDFSuez Energy International. Until May 2005, Sir Neville was Chairman of Carillion plc, after the demerger, in 1999, of the company from Tarmac plc, where he had worked for 35 years; including as Group CEO and Deputy Chairman for the last eight years. He was, for the final three years of the project, joint Chairman of TML, the Channel Tunnel contractor's consortium. Sir Neville has chaired a number of Construction Industry bodies and the Regional Leadership Teams for Business in the Community in the West Midlands and the Solent Region of the UK. He was a founder member of the UK Government's Private Finance Panel, Chairman of the Government's Sustainable Procurement Task Force, Deputy Chairman of Ashridge Management College, Chairman of the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Trust for ten years and a member of the Presidents Committee of the CBI until 2015, he also served for seven years on the Court of the Bank of England.
Baroness McGregor-Smith is the former President of the British Chambers of Commerce and she was Chief Executive of MITIE Group plc from 2007 to 2016. As one of the few female chief executives in the FTSE 250 and FTSE 100, she grew MITIE’s employee base from circa 23,000 to 65,000, making it one of the UK’s largest private sector employers. She was made a life peer of the House of Lords in 2015. Recognised by the Financial Times as one of the top 50 female business leaders in the world in 2013, she also served as the Chair of the Women’s Business Council between 2012 and 2016, and she authored the Independent Report to the UK Government on Race in the Workplace, published in 2017. In 2020 she was appointed by the UK Government to lead the In-Work Progression Commission, providing an independent review into the barriers that prevent people from progressing in work and increasing pay.
Mike is a non-executive director of Southern Water Services; Network Rail & ARCADIS, the global design & cost consultancy business. He was President and CEO of Skanska UK plc from October 2009 until May 2017. Prior to that he was Executive Vice President and a main Board Director for Skanska UK plc from June 2001 to September 2009, where he was responsible for leading the infrastructure and then building construction businesses.
Michael is currently Chair of Coller Capital Limited a UK based international Private Equity Group, a non-executive director of Taqa, a Middle East based industrial group and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Surrey. He was previously CEO of 3i Group plc, Chair of the British Venture Capital Association, Chair of Enterprise M3 and non-executive director and Chair of the Audit Committee of PA Consulting Limited. At Tideway he has Chaired both the Finance Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Non-Executive Shareholder Directors
Andrew joined Allianz Capital Partners in 2016. He is responsible for all asset management activities for the direct infrastructure investment portfolio. Prior to joining Allianz, Andrew was a Senior Principal Investor and Asset Manager for 3i in its infrastructure team for nearly ten years, where he worked on a variety of infrastructure transactions, including 3i’s investments in Anglian Water, Elenia Heat, Cross London Trains and Wireless Infrastructure Group. Previously he worked at Ambac and Schroders. Andrew has an MA in History from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Alistair is leading the Dalmore team on Tideway. His career started as a graduate at British Linen Bank, working in the infrastructure team. Following this, he held the position of director at Edison Capital, Noble Group and 3i where he was one of the founding members of the infrastructure team and involved in a number of transactions, including the acquisition of Anglian Water and purchase by 3iN of stakes in Oiltanking GMBH.
Chris was appointed to the Tideway Board in September 2021 as a shareholder director representing Amber Infrastructure. Chris is an infrastructure investment professional with over 15 years’ experience. He has worked at Amber Infrastructure since 2012 where he is a Senior Investment Director responsible for managing various infrastructure investments. Prior to joining Amber Infrastructure, Chris worked at Deloitte where he provided advice to clients in connection with corporate transactions. Chris has a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Southampton and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Executive Directors (also part of Executive Committee)
Andy was appointed CEO of Tideway in 2014 and was formally appointed to the Tideway Board on Licence Award in 2015. He joined the project from Crossrail where he was Programme Director and a Board member. He has worked around the world, including on developments such as Hong Kong Airport and Hong Kong West Rail. He also worked for Network Rail, where he was Project Director for its Southern Power Upgrade project and Senior Programme Director of the Thameslink Programme. Andy is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Civil Engineers, and former Chair of the Infrastructure Industry Innovation Platform (i3P) and Infrastructure Client Group (ICG). He was also the Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council from 2018 to June 2022 and in 2020 he was named Personality of the Year at the Building Awards in recognition of his efforts working with government to prepare for Brexit and to support the industry through the coronavirus pandemic. He was honoured with a CBE for Services to Civil Engineering.
Mathew joined Tideway in November 2018 following his role at Crossrail as Finance Director for the last three years. Prior to this, Mathew has gained extensive experience in the infrastructure, construction and services sectors primarily through Balfour Beatty where he worked for 15 years in a number of senior financial and general management roles. Mathew is a Chartered Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a member of CPA Australia.
Roger was appointed to the board in October 2021 having worked on the project since 2012. His appointment strengthens the board’s commissioning and technical focus as the project moves towards the completion and handover stages. In the early part of the project’s development he was instrumental in defining the project requirements and agreeing the technical interaction between the Tideway asset and the existing Thames Water sewer network. Roger is a chartered civil engineer with more than 30 years' experience in the planning, design and construction of complex infrastructure projects in the UK and internationally.
Executive Committee
Celia joined the project in September 2013 having previously held the role of General Counsel at the Olympic Delivery Authority. She has over 20 years' experience advising on major infrastructure projects and their financing.
Steve joined Tideway in June 2016 from his previous role at Crossrail. He has more than 20 years’ experience managing health and safety in the construction industry and is a Chartered Member of IOSH.
Lucy has held a number of senior communications roles in the transport, housing and regeneration sectors. She spent six years at Transport for London and also worked on the preparation phases, including planning and land assembly, for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Lucy joined Tideway in September 2016 from Metropolitan, a large housing provider.
Matt joined the project in 2011 to focus on the funding of the Tideway project through its development and delivery phases and to establish its approach to legacy. Prior to this, he was a Director at a management consultancy where he advised governments, regulators, companies and investors in the utility and infrastructure sectors. Before moving into consultancy, Matt held various positions at Ofwat.
Richard joined the project in 2015 in the Project Sponsor team taking on the role of Asset Ownership Director in 2020. He has over 25 years’ experience in the water and chemical process industries, both supporting operational assets and delivering complex projects. Richard is a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and Member of the Project Management Institute.