Executive team
Charley Maher
Chief Executive Officer
Appointed CEO of South Staffordshire Plc in September 2023 having previously held senior leadership roles in financial services and utilities. Prior to joining, Charley worked for YTL UK, as Chief Commercial Officer of Wessex Water Group, and Managing Director at Pelican Business Services and water2business. Earlier in her career she was with NatWest and the RBS Group.
Rob O’Malley
Group Chief Financial Officer
Appointed CFO of South Staffordshire Plc in March 2020 having previously held senior finance roles in energy networks and utilities. He is responsible for the Group’s central support services operation, which includes Group Finance and IT services. Prior to joining, Rob was formerly Group Treasurer at Cadent Gas and Head of Corporate Finance at Electricity North West. Earlier in his career he was with United Utilities and NatWest.
Barry Hayward
Chief Commercial Officer | Interim Managing Director – Water, Waste and Infrastructure
Appointed CCO of South Staffordshire Plc in January 2024 having previously held senior leadership roles in the utilities sector. Prior to joining, Barry worked for Wessex Water Enterprises, as Managing Director of GENeco, Nest Homes, Wessex Searches and Swiss Combi Technology. Prior to this, he held a range of senior roles including operational leadership positions at Wessex Water and Managing Director roles at water 2 business, Flipper and Albion Water.
Sara McCann
Group HR Director
Appointed as Group HR Director in May 2024, having joined the business in September 2023 as Head of People for South Staffordshire Water. With over 20 years’ experience in human resources, Sara has operated in senior HR leadership positions with both Global and European remits. She has a breadth of knowledge and skills across different disciplines including operational HR, employee relations, transformation projects, talent management and learning and development. Sara is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and holds certifications in Six Sigma Green Belt and Health and Safety IOSH.
Andrew Lobley
Interim Managing Director – OnSite
Appointed Interim Managing Director of Group business OnSite in April 2024, Andrew previously held a senior role in sister Group company South Staffs Water as Operations Director. Prior to joining the Group, Andrew held multiple operational roles within the utilities sector at both Cambridge Water and Welsh Water.
Andrew Willicott
Managing Director – South Staffs Water
Appointed as Managing Director of South Staffs Water in May 2020, having joined from a position of Transformation Director at Bristol Water. Prior to this, Andrew has held positions as Chief Operating Officer for Sydney Water and Executive Director with Pennon Group. Andrew was also formerly Chairman of the Corporate IT Association and Deputy Chair of the South West Institute of Directors.
Monica Mackintosh
Managing Director – Echo Managed Services
Appointed Managing Director of Echo Managed Services in December 2018, Monica has been a member of Echo’s Board for seven years and during this time headed up both the software and customer service areas of the business before her appointment as Managing Director. Prior to joining Echo, Monica held a variety of positions with Severn Trent Water and Complete Credit Management.
Neil Shailer
Managing Director – Compliance
Appointed as Managing Director for SSI Services’ Compliance Business and as Managing Director of IWS Water Hygiene in April 2020, having previously been Managing Director for Omega Red Group since 2015. Prior to joining the Group, Neil held the positions of UK Operations Director for Bilfinger Industrial Services and Managing Director for AIM listed Alkane Energy, having spent his early career at Siemens.
Steven Draper
Managing Director – Infrastructure Gateway
Appointed as Managing Director of Infrastructure Gateway in May 2018. Steven has worked in the engineering and utilities sector for over 20 years starting in the water and wastewater arena before joining Infrastructure Gateway in 2008 where he has worked with the team and been integral in the significant growth the business has seen, before becoming a member of the group in January 2023.