Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is pleased to announce Ed Mitchell as the new Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit company, following Neil Jeffery’s decision to step down after eight successful years leading WSUP.
Rt Hon Lord Boateng, Chair of the Board at WSUP, welcomed the new appointment. “Ed has an impressive background in leadership, policy and sustainability in the private and public sectors, having worked in senior roles for several UK water utilities and government departments”, said Lord Boateng. “I am confident he is the right person to lead WSUP into the next chapter of its development, building on the great foundations laid by Neil during his tenure.”
Ed Mitchell has significant relevant experience in the environmental and water sectors, as well as with public policy and administration. Most recently he was a Director at Pennon Group, the owners of South West Water, Bournemouth Water, Bristol Water, and Viridor.
Prior to this, he held the role of Executive Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency for nearly a decade, and was also the Director of Environment and Corporate Responsibility at Thames Water. He has also worked for GlaxoSmithKline and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), as well as acting as special advisor to Dame Margaret Beckett, the UK’s first female Foreign Secretary, from 2005 to 2007.
Ed holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Water and Wastewater Engineering from Cranfield University, and through his role with Thames Water was previously involved with WSUP as a non-executive director following its foundation in 2005. He is currently Chair of the Environmental Advisory Group at the Canal and River Trust, a member of the boards of South West Sensor Ltd and the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, and a trustee of the South West Lakes Trust.
“I am thrilled to be joining WSUP, having been for a long time a passionate supporter of the organisation and firm believer in the value of WSUP’s unique business model and theory of change,” says Ed. “The combination of climate change, population growth, urbanisation, and poverty is making it more urgent than ever to develop sustainable and resilient solutions for the poorest communities in the developing world. WSUP is uniquely placed to deliver these – at scale – and make a really significant contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Ed took up his position as CEO on 22nd June.