Speakers :: Water NI 2012

21st March 2012,

	Shane Lynch, CEO, Utility Regulator Shane Lynch is the Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator, and was appointed in January 2011, having previously been the Director of Electricity since 2009. As Director of Electricity he led a major investigation into business electricity tariffs and the review of generating unit agreements with power stations in Northern Ireland. Prior to 2009, he had 27 years experience of the electricity industry (11 years at board level). He worked for 17 years at AES, a global electricity company operating in 29 countries across 5 continents, where he was Managing Director of Kilroot Power Station and was latterly Development Director for Ireland. During his time at AES Kilroot he was responsible for managing all aspects of a power station business with a turnover of £130 million and was latterly responsible for the formulation and implementation of AES’s strategy for the island of Ireland.
	Jo Aston, Director of Water Regulation, Utility Regulator Jo is currently the Director of Water Regulation, employed by the Utility Regulator, who is also responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity. Jo took up this post in May 2007 with the reform of the Water Industry in NI and is responsible for establishing the economic regulatory regime for NI Water. Jo is a Chartered Civil Engineer; she has worked for both the private and public sector, predominantly in the Water Industry. Her experience spans all aspects of the business, from managing a team of professional designers to directing a large operational workforce. She oversaw the construction of Water Service’s first Public Private Partnership before moving into Asset Management, delivering Water Service’s second Asset Management Plan which defined a £3billion investment requirement over a 20 year horizon. The work in asset management led to her interest in economic regulation and her current posting.
	George Butler, Director of Asset Management, Northern Ireland Water George has worked in most aspects of the water industry as a consultant, independent contractor, regulator, financier and operator. He is a chartered engineer, member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, CIWEM and Institute of Water. He is a director of the water industry research organisation, UKWIR. George's role with Northern Ireland Water has responsibility for strategic asset management, health & safety and the company's environmental services. He also chairs the NIW pension company.
	John Mills, Director - Water Policy Division, Department for Regional Development
	David Elliott, Director of Regulation and Assets, Wessex Water David is responsible for ensuring that the Company’s policies continue to meet stakeholder aspirations, and that the Company invests in and maintains appropriate assets to meet our customer service, regulatory, financial and quality objectives. He is responsible for developing policy, liaising with regulators, preparing regulatory business plans, and investment plans to deliver our obligations within an acceptable level of risk and return. David joined Wessex Water in 1984, and has spent many of those years delivering services within the operational side of the business.
	Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive, Consumer Council for Northern Ireland Antoinette McKeown was appointed Chief Executive of the Consumer Council in July 2009. Antoinette has a background in public policy, working in London and Belfast for children’s rights and equality. She was previously Head of Policy and Development with the Equality Commission and Chief Executive of PlayBoard, Northern Ireland. Antoinette is a graduate of the University of Ulster and Queens University, where she obtained a Masters Degree in Politics.
	Dave Foster, Director of Environmental Protection, Northern Ireland Environment Agency Dave is Director of Environmental Protection for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. In this role he leads a team of c.375 staff responsible for safeguarding the quality of the environment in Northern Ireland through effective regulation of activities that have the potential to impact on air, water and land. This involves issuing consents, licences, permits and authorisations, setting standards for compliance, monitoring, reporting and enforcement of legislation, as well as engagement with businesses and the public to provide information and advice. Previously Dave worked for the Environment Agency for England & Wales (and its predecessor the National Rivers Authority) in a variety of operational and policy roles in relation to the water environment before joining the then Northern Ireland Environment and Heritage Service in 2002 as Head of Water Management.
	Paddy Brow, Head of Asset Strategy, Northern Ireland Water and Chairman, CIWEM NI Branch Paddy joined NI Water in 2007 as the Head of Asset Strategy. Prior to this from 1992 he had worked as a Consulting Engineer in the UK Water Industry, mostly based in England. He retuned to NI to be the Technical Manager for the £10m Ballyclare WWTW and £45 North Coast WWTW Scheme. One of his first roles in NI Water was to be the Programme Manager for NI Water’s first Price Control Regulatory Business Plan submission ‘PC10’. As the Head of Asset Strategy he is responsible for the development of asset strategies to achieve the company goals, and to prepare future Asset Management Plans. He is also NI Water’s Climate Change Champion responsible for coordinating the companies Adaptation and Mitigation plans. Paddy is a Chartered Civil Engineer, and is also a Chartered member of CIWEM, for which he is currently the NI Regional Chairman.
	Dr John Gilliland OBE, Chairman, Rural Generation Ltd, a Member of the Glantek, Clean Technology Alliance John is Chair and a Director of Rural Generation Ltd., a Development Company, designing sustainable renewable energy and waste management systems using short rotation willow trees as a multifunctional tool, both in Ireland and in New York State. John has represented the agri-business sector at numerous meetings with all levels of Government, the EU and worldwide economic bodies; in Copenhagen at the Heads of State Summit; in Luxemburg at the review of the EU Common Agriculture Policy; and at the World Trade Talks in Cancun, Mexico. Most recently John has been engaged by Rothamsted Research in England to partner with them and commercialise the willow crop in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
	Dymphna Gallagher, Head of Quality & Compliance, Northern Ireland Water I have spent the last seven years in Policy and Regulation which largely involves assessment of the implications of existing and future regulatory requirements e.g. Drinking Water Directives and the Water Framework Directive. I am the interface with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Medical Authorities and the District Councils in Northern Ireland on all regulatory and health related issues e.g. cryptosporidium and Drinking Water Safety Plans. My current post as Head of Quality and Compliance includes responsibility for NI Water’s Analytical Services, our Environmental Management System and SCAMP NI. I am responsible for ensuring we meet our changing regulatory obligations within NI Water. I have implemented the Drinking Water Safety Plan approach within NIW with the added twist of having to take account of infrastructure built and operated under Public Private Partnerships.
	Representative, Water UK and Eureau

Chaired by

Clive Elphick, Board Member, Utility Regulator; Board member, Environment Agency; Member, Competition Appeal Tribunal
Clive Elphick is a non-executive director of the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation and of the Environment Agency, and a member of the Competition Appeal Tribunal. He is also chair of a small IT hardware company called Thinspace and a trustee of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. He is a past chair of the CBI for the North West of England, and is a former non-executive director of a Department of State and of a regional development agency. From 1991 to 2009 Clive worked for United Utilities Group plc, most recently as Managing Director of Asset Management and Regulation. His previous roles included Economic Regulation Director, Group Strategic Planning Director and a Chief Operating Officer of the regulated water business.

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