Our business

Board of Directors
Sara Vaughan - Independent Chair
Alice Cummings - Independent Non-executive Director
Jim O'Sullivan - Independent Non-executive Director
Professor Ian Barker - Independent Non-executive Director
Keith Harris - Non-executive Director and Arjun Infrastructure Partners' Representative
Peter Antolik - Non-executive Director and Arjun Infrastructure Partners' Representative
Elena Karpathakis - Managing Director
Charley Maher - Group CEO

  
Executive Team
Elena Karpathakis
Managing Director

Elena KarpathakisElena was appointed Cambridge and South Staffs Water's Managing Director in March 2025. Prior to joining, Elena worked for British Gas, leading one of the UK's largest engineering workforces. Earlier in her career she held leadership positions at Openreach and BT.

Elena is an executive leader for scale national service, engineering and operations business units. She has over 20 years of experience, transforming all aspects of service, financial performance, systems and process, as well as mobilising complex stakeholder groups. Her analytical and structured approach achieves step-change improvements in customer experience, people engagement, safety and financial results.

Caroline Cooper
Strategy and Regulation Director

Caroline Cooper, Strategy and Regulation DirectorCaroline was appointed in 2020, having previously been responsible for our successful PR19 submission, developing a business plan which delivers for our customers and the environment. This saw us secure over £660m of funding for the period 2020-25.

Caroline has spent all of her career in the water sector, previously working for Severn Trent until she joined South Staffs Water in 2003. She originally joined as an analyst in Asset Management and has progressed through a number of roles within the business, with extensive knowledge in asset management, business planning and strategy development.

Robert Boswell
Capital Delivery Director

Robert Boswell, Capital Delivery DirectorRobert was appointed in June 2023, having started his career with the company in 1996. He has been responsible for delivering operational excellence in multiple front-line departments specialising in energy, water production and civil engineering.

In this role, Robert oversees the delivery of Capital Delivery, Energy and Operational Technologies. His focus is managing one of our biggest operational costs - energy, and looking at how we become greener, whilst developing smarter networks.

David Brown
Transformation Director
David BrownDavid joined the business in June 2025, having previously held senior transformation and operational leadership positions at several major UK utilities. 

He has over 20 years of experience developing long-term transformation strategies and leading large-scale change initiatives, with a focus on accelerating progress towards net-zero goals and enhancing operational performance. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with national engineering and field service teams to improve customer experience and deliver tangible value.

Alex Wilkes
Customer Services Director

Alex Wilkes, Customer Services DirectorAlex began his role with South Staffs Water in September 2025, bringing with him 18 years of leadership experience within the utilities sector. Before joining, Alex was Customer and Commercial Director at YES Energy Solutions, a Community Interest Company focused on the alleviation of fuel poverty.

Alex is responsible for ensuring we deliver outstanding service to our customers and enhancing satisfaction.


Graham Hubbold
Interim Finance Director

Graham HubboldGraham joined South Staffs Water in April 2025, after previously working as Chief Financial Officer for Marlowe Environmental Services, a compliance solutions provider that works closely with businesses in the water industry. 

Before this, Graham founded his own consulting business, led as Finance Director at Severn Trent Services, and operated as Interim Head of Finance for Fire and Water at Interserve. 


 
Faye Stanley
Lead People Business Partner

Faye StanleyFaye is the Lead People Business Partner for South Staffordshire Plc and works closely with the rest of the Executive team on the delivery of the organisation’s business plan, whilst leading on people initiatives with our leaders and employees.

Faye has been part of South Staffordshire Plc since 2003, bringing a wealth of experience in HR systems, compliance, and strategic people management. She has successfully progressed through several roles, including HR Systems and Compliance Manager across multiple Group businesses, and most recently leading HR across both Omega Red Group and IWS Water Hygiene, supporting the development of inclusive, high-performing cultures and driving operational excellence through people-focused initiatives.