Our board

David Sproul - Chair

David was appointed to the Board on 1 July 2024 and became Chair on 24 July 2024. David is a Chartered Accountant who has spent the majority of his career in professional services with Deloitte and prior to that Andersen serving a diverse range of UK and international clients. He concluded his executive career at Deloitte in summer 2021 as Global Deputy CEO having previously been elected for two terms as Senior partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte UK and North West Europe from 2011 to 2019. During his leadership the firm became the largest and most profitable professional services firm Globally and, in the UK, driven in part by significant investments in technology services, as well as differentiating itself as the Audit quality leader with a strong inclusive culture. Chair of Starling Bank Limited and non-executive director on Safanad Limited. David is also a senior adviser to Bridgepoint Europe and he sits on the Board of Governors as chair designate of University of Hertfordshire.

Laura Flowerdew - Group Finance Officer

Laura was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Pennon Group in July 2024. Laura was previously the Chief Customer and Digital Officer of Pennon Group between September 2022 and July 2024. She was also an executive director and Chief Financial Officer of Bristol Water plc from October 2018. Alongside her financial responsibilities her role also encompassed leading the company’s transformation programme, as well as IT, HR, business services and communications Laura continues to be a director of Pelican Business Services, a role she has held since 2019. Pelican provides billing and customer services across both Bristol Water and Wessex Water. Laura previously worked in a number of executive positions in utilities and natural resources business including Bristol Energy, Anglo American and De Beers. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales.

Jon Butterworth (MBE,MSc, Flod) – Independent Non-Executive Director

Jon was appointed to the Board on 28 September 2017. Jon was also appointed to the Pennon Group Board on 8 July 2020. Jon is the Chief Executive Officer of the UK Gas Business for National Grid Plc and a member of the National Grid Executive Committee. Jon has a distinguished track record and an immense depth of experience and knowledge within the utility sector, having begun his career over 44 years ago as an apprentice in British Gas. He has been the Managing Director of Northwest Gas, Global Environment and Sustainability Manager of Transco, National Operations Director of National Grid, Group Safety, Resilience and Environmental Director of National Grid Plc and formerly CEO of National Grid Ventures, building £3bn of growth in renewables across the USA and Europe. Jon’s utility background makes him keenly aware of the importance of maintaining a balance between performance and safety, and he constructively challenges the Board and management to constantly raise the bar in this area. Jon is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and is a Director of National Grid Gas, National Grid Metering Limited, E. Tapp & Co Limited, Shopfittings Manchester Limited and TMA Property Limited. He is also an ex-Chair of the CORGI Board, an ex-Ambassador of the HM Young Offenders Programme and a trustee of the National Gas Museum Trust.

Iain Evans (CBE, BSc Hons, FCA, MBA) – Independent Non-Executive Director

Iain was appointed to the Board on 31 July 2020. Iain has been a member of the Pennon Group Board since appointment on 1 September 2018. Iain has 40 years of extensive global experience in advising companies and governments on issues of complex corporate strategy. In 1983, he co-founded L.E.K. Consulting in London and built it into one of the world’s largest and most respected corporate strategy consulting firms with a global footprint active in a wide range of industries. Iain was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Welsh Water plc in 1989 and served on the board for nearly 10 years, including five years as chair. As chair of the ESG Committee, Iain is leading the development of a sustainability programme that underpins the delivery of our strategy. Iain is a non-executive director of Bologna Topco Limited and continues to act as an independent corporate strategy consultant.

Dorothy Burwell – Independent Non-Executive Director

Dorothy was appointed to the Board on 1 December 2022. Dorothy is a Partner and Global Partnership Board Member of FGS Global. She has more than 20 years of experience in banking and communications, specialising in natural resources and advising clients on issues including sustainability, strategy, and corporate communications. She is well-known for driving substantive diversity and inclusion agendas. Between 2002 and 2006 Dorothy held analyst and senior roles at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division in both London and New York as well as in the Firmwide Strategy Group, where she focused on proprietary mergers and acquisitions, and new business development. Dorothy graduated the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, USA, with a Bachelor and Master of Business Administration, Finance and Management. Dorothy is a Non-Executive Director at consumer packaged goods group, Post Holdings, Inc. Dorothy is also a Trustee of the Consumers’ Association charity, Which?, the largest independent consumer rights organisation in the UK.

Loraine Woodhouse (BA Hons, ACMA) – Independent Non-Executive Director

Loraine was appointed to the Board on 1 December 2022. Loraine is an experienced finance executive, with her experience being predominantly in the retail and consumer sector, but more recently in real estate and infrastructure through her roles with Intu Properties plc and British Land Company plc. Loraine was the Chief Financial Officer of Halfords Group plc for just under four years until June 2022, before which, she spent five years in executive and senior finance roles within the John Lewis Partnership, including Waitrose. Prior to that, Loraine was Chief Financial Officer of Hobbs, Finance Director of Capital Shopping Centres Limited (subsequently Intu Properties plc) and Finance Director of Costa Coffee Limited. Loraine is a Non-Executive Director of The Restaurant Group plc and a member of their Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees and is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at British Land Company plc.

Andrea Blance - BSc (Econ), MBA, FCCA Independent Non-Executive Director

Andrea was appointed to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director on 8 April 2025.

Andrea brings extensive risk and regulation expertise gained within the financial services sector and works with businesses to develop customer focused commercial strategies.
Andrea spent her executive career at Legal & General Group plc where she held a range of senior leadership roles including Group Chief Risk Officer and Strategy & Marketing Director. More recently, Andrea has been Risk Committee Chair at Hargreaves Lansdown plc, Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Vanquis Banking Group plc, Senior Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair of ReAssure plc, and Risk Committee Chair of Scottish Widows plc and Lloyds Banking Group Insurance.
Andrea is Non Executive Director and Chair of the Risk Committee at Aviva plc.

Andrew Haines Independent Non-Executive Director

Andrew was appointed to the Board as an independent non executive director on 1 November 2025.

Sir Andrew brings extensive leadership experience from across the UK’s transport and regulatory sectors, having most recently served as Chief Executive of Network Rail from 2018 to 2025.
During his tenure at Network Rail, Sir Andrew led a major organisational restructure in preparation for the creation of Great British Railways and delivered a £4 billion efficiency programme. He has been instrumental in the successful and ongoing delivery of £10 billion of infrastructure investment between Manchester and York, and beyond. His career also includes serving as Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority and holding senior roles in the rail industry, including Managing Director of South West Trains and the Rail Division of First Group plc. He was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year Honours and received a Knighthood in the 2025 Honours list for services to transport and the economy.