United Utilities has appointed a new corporate affairs director who joins from a senior role at Manchester United.
Andrew Ward will be responsible for the FTSE 100 company’s internal and external communications, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
He joins from Manchester United, following six years with the football club as their director of media relations and public affairs.
Prior to that, Ward was a managing director for strategic communications at FTI Consulting in London, following almost 20 years in a variety of senior editorial roles at the Financial Times, including energy editor and White House correspondent.
He said: “It’s an honour to be taking the baton from Gaynor and joining a company with such huge responsibilities to customers and the environment across the North West of England.
“It is an especially exciting time to be getting on board, as the biggest upgrade of the region’s water and wastewater infrastructure in over a century gathers pace, with over £13bn of investment planned by 2030, supporting 30,000 jobs.
“I’m looking forward to leading the talented team responsible for telling that story and engaging with communities from Crewe to Carlisle.”
Ward succeeds Gaynor Kenyon, who will be retiring after 20 years with the organisation at the end of May.