Public appointment: appointment of non-executive members of the Board of Scottish Water

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson MSP, today announced the appointment of Graham Dalton and Catriona Schmolke as non-executive members of the Board of Scottish Water.

Appointments

Graham Dalton 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.

Catriona Schmolke brings 36 years of infrastructure whole life asset experience with expertise in environmental protection, sustainability and ESG risk predominantly with USA based engineering, technical and scientific professional services company Jacobs. Her Operations career included roles as Vice President of the Water Utilities, Energy and Waste Business and Vice President of the Sustainable Solutions Consultancy.  She is a chartered engineer and hydrogeologist with degrees from Strathclyde and Newcastle Universities. In 2016 she was honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering where she is currently a Trustee and Vice President. Mrs Schmolke is also a Visiting Professor in Sustainability, Risk and Resilience at the University of Newcastle.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Length of term, remuneration and time commitment

Mrs Schmolke will be appointed for four years from 1 November 2021 until 31 October 2025 with Mr Dalton being appointed for four years from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2026. Non-executive members of the Scottish Water Board receive £21,600 per annum for a time commitment of up to four days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Mr Dalton and Mrs Schmolke do not hold any other ministerial appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.

Mr Dalton and Mrs Schmolke have had no political activity within the last five years.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water is a public corporation established by the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002. It is accountable to the Scottish Government for the provision of all public water and sewerage services to more than 2.56 million households and around 153,000 businesses in Scotland. It is the fourth largest provider of water and sewerage services in the UK, with a workforce of more than 4000 and an annual turnover of roughly £1.4 billion. Its retail subsidiary Business Stream operates in the competitive retail market for non-household customers in Scotland and England.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland, the independent economic regulator of Scottish Water, recently published its Final Determination for the next regulatory period 2021-27 setting the demanding financial limits within which Scottish Water must deliver the objectives set by Ministers. Those objectives include that it should make progress towards the achievement of net zero emissions by 2040. As part of its determination the Commission has also set out a radical new approach to regulation through ethical business practices which create new expectations for how Scottish Water works with its stakeholders and customers. The Commission will monitor and report on Scottish Water’s performance.