Former HS2 boss Thurston to become new Anglian Water boss | Business News

Mark Thurston, the former head of the controversial HS2 high-speed rail link, will be appointed on Thursday as the next chief executive of one of Britain’s biggest water companies.

Sky News has learned that Anglian Water Group, which has more than seven million customers, has recruited Mr Thurston to guide it through and beyond a crucial period of negotiations with industry regulator Ofwat.

Thurston resigned as head of HS2, Europe’s biggest infrastructure project, in July 2023 after more than six years in the role.

A former delivery executive involved in the 2012 London Olympics and the Crossrail project, Thurston began his career as an apprentice on the London Underground.

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At one point – during his tenure at HS2 – he was said to have been the highest-paid civil servant in Britain.

Thurston will replace Peter Simpson at Anglian Water and is expected to take up the role over the summer.

Anglian Water, which employs thousands of people, announced last October that Simpson, who had been CEO for a decade, planned to step down this year.

The company, which is the largest water utility by area in Britain, is owned by a consortium of British, Australian and Canadian investors.

They include a joint venture between Dalmore Capital and GLIL Infrastructure, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Australia’s Industry Funds Management.

Sources said Thurston’s extensive experience in infrastructure would be an asset to a company with substantial investment plans across its businesses over the next five years.

The UK water industry is at a critical period, with the regulator set to determine pricing and investment plans by the end of the year.

Thames Water, the sector’s biggest player, faces an existential crisis after its shareholders decided it was “uninvestable” following discussions with Ofwat.

Its owners are withholding billions of pounds of previously promised investment, exacerbating fears that the company will have to be temporarily nationalized.

Last week, Sky News revealed that a number of directors linked to its shareholders had resigned from the boards of Thames Water and its holdings.

The group has a new boss, Chris Weston, appointed following Sarah Bentley’s dismissal last year.

Thames and many of the other operators in the UK water industry have been criticized for their appalling record of leaks and pumping raw sewage into the country’s rivers.

The growing controversy has triggered a crackdown on dividend payments and ministerial promises of stricter oversight.

Last year, Anglian Water pleaded guilty to allowing untreated sewage to flow into the North Sea, leading to a £2.65m fine following a case brought by the Environment Agency.

A spokesman for Anglian Water declined to comment on Wednesday evening.

Thurston could not be reached for comment.