Pennon Group chief executive Chris Loughlin has been appointed deputy chair of British Water and will take up the post in January 2017.

Chris Loughlin has been appointed deputy chair of British Water

Loughlin joined the board of the trade association as a non-executive director last month.

A former chairman of Water UK, he is past president of the Institute of Water. He is also on the board of trustees for WaterAid and a member of the charity’s audit committee, and is vice chairman of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.

Loughlin began his career as a chartered civil engineer working in contracting and consulting. He was formerly chief operating officer for Lloyd’s Register, executive director of British Nuclear Fuels and executive chairman of Magnox Electric. He was also a senior diplomat in the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Speaking about his appointment, he said: “Having joined the board in May, I am very pleased to take up the role of deputy chairman at this exciting time of change in the industry. In representing the views of its members, British Water creates a focus for water expertise and plays a significant role in shaping the policies of the future.

“Water is at the heart of dynamic global issues including climate change and urbanisation, which makes developing the role of British Water more important than ever for the water and environment sector.”

British Water chairman Tony Williams said: “We are absolutely delighted that Chris Loughlin has agreed to take up the position of deputy chair of the board at British Water.  His insight and expertise are already proving to be an enormous asset to the association.

“I look forward to working closely with Chris to ensure the voice of the water industry supply chain is heard at governmental level, by regulators and, most importantly, by customers. Chris Loughlin’s experience will be invaluable as British Water continues to strengthen relationships across the industry and to the benefit of our members.”