Executive Leadership Team
The Executive Leadership team are responsible for the strategic direction of Scottish Water, headed by Richard Ackroyd, chief executive.
Richard K Ackroyd - Chief Executive
Richard Ackroyd was appointed as Chief Executive in March 2008 and has over twenty years experience in the water industry. Prior to joining Scottish Water Richard had been a Director of Yorkshire Water since 1996, latterly as Director of Regulation and Investment. Richard was also Chairman of Water UK from 2006 to 2008.
He is a solicitor by profession and has previously been Head of Legal Services for Yorkshire Water following a period in private practice.
Geoff Aitkenhead - Asset Management Director
Geoff was formerly General Manager, Customer Services and Networks at East of Scotland Water (ESW). Previously, he was Strategic Development Manager, Operations at ESW and Capital Planning Manager at Borders Regional Council.
He is a graduate of Newcastle University, a member of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Geoff is Chairman of WaterAid (Scotland), an organisation dedicated to the provision of clean water and sanitation in the developing world, and Chairman of Scottish Water Solutions.
Christopher Banks - Commercial Director
Chris was formerly Business Development Director with Ennstone plc. Previously, he was Commercial Director at Scottish Coal and Celtic Energy, following his earlier career in minerals, shipping and construction products.
He gained an MA in History at Oxford University and an MBA at Cranfield School of Management. Chris is also a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Member of Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Chris is a Non-executive Director of Sgoiltean Ura LLP.
Shirley C Campbell - Director of Human Resources and 
Development
Shirley was People and Organisational Development Director for Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.
Previously she was UK Human Resources Director and Corporate Services Director for Royal and Sun Alliance and UK Organisational Development Director for Aviva plc. She also worked on the development of Aviva's operations across India.
She has a BSc in Psychology and a post graduate qualification in Personnel Management. Shirley is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and a trained counsellor.
Peter Farrer- Customer Service Delivery Director
Peter was formerly General Manager of Tactical Planning and Performance and General Manager of Operations within Scottish Water’s Asset Management Team.
Prior to this, Peter has held various operational management and engineering roles within Scottish Water’s predecessor organisations, East of Scotland Water and Lothian Regional Council.
He has 27 years experience in the Water Industry since graduating from Heriot Watt University as a Civil Engineer in 1984. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer, gained an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School in 2001 and is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Vice President of the Institute of Customer Service.
Douglas Millican - Finance Director
Douglas was formerly with East of Scotland Water, initially as Financial Controller and latterly as Commercial Director. Prior to this, he worked with Price Waterhouse in Edinburgh and New Zealand and with Tyco International in Australia.
He is a Chartered Accountant with a BCom from the University of Edinburgh and is an Associate Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Grant Nairn - Director of Innovation and Technology
Grant's role is to drive innovation and the effective use of technology to deliver the best possible outcomes for Scottish Water customers.
Grant joined the management team from HBOS where he was Head of IT Strategy and Head of Enterprise Platforms.
Prior to this Grant's career was in consulting at Accenture and McKinsey & Co. Grant has a 1st class BSc in Physics from Edinburgh University.
Chris Wallace - Director of Communications
Chris Wallace joined Scottish Water in April 2007 as Director of Communications.
Chris is a former Managing Director of Barkers Scotland. He attended the University of Stirling and has a BSc in Management Science and a diploma in Marketing.
Chris is responsible for advising the management team and board on corporate reputation and for leading teams working in media relations, public affairs and internal communications.
His novel, ‘The Pied Piper’s Poison’, won the 1998 Saltire Award, 'Killing The Messenger' was published in 2011.
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