New Non-Executive Members appointed to Scottish Water Board

Two new non-executive members have been appointed to the Scottish Water Board.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson MSP, announced the appointment of Graham Dalton and Catriona Schmolke.

Graham Dalton is a chartered civil engineer and fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering with 35 years of experience planning, building and operating large scale infrastructure in the UK, Middle East and Far East. 

From 2016 to 2022 he was Chief Executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation responsible for the Defence Estate in the UK and overseas.  

Previously, he was Chief Executive of the Highways Agency where he built the Agency’s capabilities in network operation, asset management and commercial performance before leading the change to a Government-Owned Company - Highways England – in 2015.

Catriona Schmolke brings 36 years of infrastructure whole life asset experience with expertise in environmental protection, sustainability and ESG risk predominantly with USA based engineering, technical and scientific professional services company Jacobs.  

Her Operations career included roles as Vice President of the Water Utilities, Energy & Waste Business and Vice President of the Sustainable Solutions Consultancy.  She is a chartered engineer and hydrogeologist with degrees from Strathclyde and Newcastle Universities. 

In 2016 she was honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering where she is currently a Trustee and Vice President. Mrs Schmolke is also a Visiting Professor in Sustainability, Risk and Resilience at the University of Newcastle.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

They follow the resignation of Paul Smith from the Scottish Water Board in summer to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.

Mrs Schmolke will be appointed for four years from 1 November 2021 with Mr Dalton being appointed for four years from 1 April 2022.  Non-Executive Members of the Scottish Water Board receive £21,600 per annum for a time commitment of up to four days per month.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years to be made public. Mr Dalton and Mrs Schmolke have had no political activity within the last five years.

Scottish Water is a accountable to the Scottish Government for the provision of all public water and sewerage services to more than 2.56 million households and around 153,000 businesses in Scotland.  

It is the fourth largest provider of water and sewerage services in the UK, with a workforce of more than 4000 and an annual turnover of roughly £1.4 billion.