Around the world, our network of dedicated staff and local partners make our work happen.

In the UK, that includes our President, Vice President, Board of Trustees and Chief Executive.

Together, every decision they make ensures our work is efficient, effective and sustainable, and takes us closer to our goal: making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene a normal part of everyday life for everyone, everywhere.

Making change happen on a global scale

WaterAid UK is part of a global federation, alongside six other members: America, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and Sweden. Together, we work with partners around the world, including the Sukaar Foundation in Pakistan, who support girls with good hygiene practices.

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Image: WaterAid/Mustafah Abdulaziz

Meet our President

His Royal Highness Prince Charles visits our work in Tanzania.
Image: WaterAid/Jake Lyell

We welcomed The former Prince of Wales as President in 1991, and since then he has seen the impact of our work first-hand in Uganda and Tanzania. He is passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the water crisis, particularly in light of the current threats to our climate, which are already negatively impacting freshwater supplies in the countries where we work.

Meet our Vice President

Portrait of Baroness Chalker

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey has been Vice President of WaterAid since 1997. She was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1986 until 1997. Today her roles include:

  • Founder and President of Africa Matters Limited, 
  • Past Chair of the Board of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • President of Royal Geographical Society 2018-2021

Meet our Chair

Andy Green CBE become Chair of WaterAid UK in October 2020, succeeding Tim Clark.

A long-term supporter of WaterAid, Andy is passionate about making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene available to everyone, everywhere.

  • He is a Trustee for WWF UK, Vice Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee, and a National Infrastructure Commissioner. Andy also chairs the Lowell Group, is Senior Independent Director at Airtel Africa, and is a Non-Executive Director at Link Administration Holdings.
  • Before joining WaterAid, Andy was President of UK Space, CEO of BT Global Services, CEO of Logica and Chair of Digital Catapult. 
  • Andy received a CBE in the Queen’s 2020 New Years Honours list for services to the information technology sector and to the British Space Industry.

As Chair of WaterAid UK, Andy also leads WaterAid UK’s People Committee, overseeing our approaches to remuneration and people management and is a trustee of WaterAid international.

Andy Green, Chair of WaterAid UK
“I’m excited by WaterAid’s commitment to help bring the basic human rights of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to the world’s poorest communities.”
Andy Green, Chair of WaterAid UK 

Our history

We started in 1981, when several UK water companies came together at the Thirsty World Conference. Determined to find a solution to a global crisis that had left billions without water, toilets or hygiene, the idea for WaterAid was born.

WaterAid's founders from the water industry

Meet our Chief Executive

Tim Wainwright headshot
Tim Wainwright headshot
Image: WaterAid / Katie McCraw

Tim Wainwright joined WaterAid UK as Chief Executive in 2017. He is responsible for driving forward WaterAid’s mission of ensuring everyone everywhere has access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

As Chief Executive of WaterAid UK, Tim has spearheaded the development of the organisation’s Global Strategy 2022-2032 and it’s four key focus areas: prioritising water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) across the health sector; creating sustainable water systems to influence wider global change; strengthening the resilience of water solutions to climate change; and increasing the quality and quantity of funding for WASH.

The links between climate change and the water crisis and water and gender inequality are also key issues Tim is personally passionate about.

In his role, he works with partners and global governments to ensure WASH is represented in rooms where key decisions are made, attending major international events such as COP and the UN General Assembly. He currently leads the Water and Climate Task Force for the Sustainable Markets Initiative, first formed by His Majesty King Charles III, which aims to build a coordinated private sector global effort to achieve a sustainable future.

Tim has spent the majority of his career working in international development. Before joining WaterAid he was Chief Executive of Action on Disability and Development International and held a range of roles with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Oxfam and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).

Outside of work, Tim is married with two daughters. He sings in his local choir, enjoys gardening and being out in nature.

Our trustees

What makes our trustees so special? They give up their time and energy for free, to help us make a bigger impact and change millions more lives.

Meet our trustees

Heather Skilling, WaterAid Trustee
Image: WaterAid

Heather Skilling

Heather Skilling is a water and sanitation specialist with 30 years of experience in the management and technical execution of water security, sanitation and hygiene programs and research activities in 30 countries across all regions, including 13 of USAID’s High Priority and Strategic Priority Countries.  She specializes in working with utilities, municipalities, and small-scale providers at the local, national, and regional levels to expand, improve, and sustain urban and peri-urban service delivery. Lead for WASH with DAI’s Environment Sector unit.

WaterAid Trustee Professor Mala Rao OBE
Image: WaterAid

Professor Mala Rao CBE

Mala is Senior Clinical Fellow at the Dept of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London and has extensive experience in strengthening health systems and workforce development for public health in the UK, India and SE Asia. She is a campaigner on the health aspects of climate change and is passionate about the integration of WASH and health policy and delivery, which are key elements of WaterAid’s Global Strategy.

Heidi Mottram OBE
Image: WaterAid

Heidi Mottram CBE

Heidi has been Chief Executive Officer of the Northumbrian Water Group since 2010. The Group delivers water and waste water services serving a population of 4.2m. Prior to that she was Managing Director of Northern Rail, the UK’s largest train operation company. Heidi has considerable experience at Chief Executive level of strategy development and is a great advocate for and supporter of WaterAid.

WaterAid Trustee Manuel Alvarinho
Image: WaterAid

Manuel Alvarinho

Manuel is a former President of the Water and Sanitation Regulatory Council of Mozambique. The majority of his career was spent working for the Mozambican Government in water supply and sanitation. Manuel has vast international experience through his work with the World Bank, WHO and UNICEF and through his presidency of Aquashare – a network of water professionals from across Portuguese-speaking countries.

WaterAid Trustee Peter Simpson
Image: WaterAid

Peter Simpson

Peter worked for Anglian Water for many years before taking the helm as CEO in 2013. His previous roles include Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Prior to that, he held positions within the international division, including Regional Director for Europe and South America. Peter is a past Chair of both Water UK and the Institute of Water. He is a committed supporter of WaterAid and, under his leadership, Anglian has been a major contributor.

Alyson Clark headshot
Image: WaterAid

Alyson Clark

Alyson has had a long career as a legal adviser; in private practice with Clifford Chance, and since 1996 at GE, a leading global high-tech industrial company. Throughout her years at GE she’s worked predominantly with its energy businesses, largely in global roles, based in the UK, the USA, and for the last seven years in Paris, France. She’s currently the General Counsel for GE Renewable Energy, which includes Onshore and Offshore Wind products, Hydroelectric equipment and Grid Solutions.

Guido Schmidt Traub
Image: WaterAid

Guido Schmidt Traub

Guido is Executive Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Previously, he was CEO of Paris-based CDC Climat Asset Management; Director and Partner at South Pole Carbon Asset Management in Zurich; led the Millennium Development Goal Support Team at UNDP; and served as Policy Advisor and Associate Director of the UN Millennium Project in New York. He holds a PhD and Masters in Economics, as well as a Masters in Physical Chemistry.

Hilary Wild headshot
Image: WaterAid

Hilary Wild

Hilary is a chartered accountant and has a portfolio of independent roles within international organisations, where she specialises in financial management, audit, risk and governance. These organisations include CGIAR, a global partnership that focuses on the transformation of food, land and water systems globally, and where she is a board and audit, finance and risk committee member of all13 entities; the Church Commissioners as chair of the Audit and Risk Committee; the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN as a member of the Oversight Advisory Committee and is Treasurer of Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK charity. Prior non-executive appointments include roles within the CGIAR, UNDP, ILO and UNESCO and senior executive positions in World Health Organization, UNICEF and Kleinwort Benson. 

Portrait of Ashvin Dayal

Ashvin Dayal

Ashvin leads The Rockefeller Foundation’s Power & Climate program, aimed at scaling up energy access and accelerating an inclusive energy transition in emerging markets. Recently, led the creation of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, a multi-billion-dollar effort supported by major philanthropies, development investors and specialized energy organizations aimed at advancing transformational projects on distributed renewable electrification, grid-tied renewables, and fossil fuel transitions in 80+ energy-poor nations.

Portrait of Nina Jasinski

Nina Jasinski

Nina joined the board in 2023. She has spent the majority of her 40-year career growing and marketing advertising and communications agencies both in the UK and across the globe.  She believes in solving brand challenges with creativity.

She now divides her time between being a Non-executive Director, Trustee, Consultant, and mentor. She is passionate about all things on the diversity agenda.

Portrait of Mamadou Biteye OBE

Mamadou Biteye OBE

Mamadou, an agricultural economist and development expert, is the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). He joined ACBF from VISA, where he served as Vice-President, Global Head of Inclusive Growth and before that as Regional Head of Social Impact for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region. Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Mamadou served as Oxfam’s Regional Director for West Africa.

Portrait of Sanjay Nair

Sanjay Nair

Sanjay has more than three decades of experience in large multinational commercial organizations like HSBC and GE performing global leadership roles, including CEO and CFO roles in Asia and Europe. He is currently the Global Head of Business and Transformation Costs, HSBC Global Commercial Banking. Sanjay has charity board experience in the UK (including Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee).

Portrait of Simi Kamal

Simi Kamal

Simi is a geographer, water expert, climate change and environment professional, women’s rights campaigner and poverty alleviation specialist and founded several private sector and social sector organizations, networks and platforms. And is the founder of Hisaar Foundation and the co-founder of Panjwani-Hisaar Water Institute and Every Woman Treaty. Currently, the Vice Chair of the International Water Management Institute, Board Director of Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited and the Convener of the Think Tank on the Rational Use of Water.

FAQs

Our Trustees are recruited through an open application process. Our aim is to always make sure the Board:

  • is diverse and gender-balanced
  • reflects the professional skills and experience we need to operate effectively and sustainably
  • reflects our origins in the UK water industry

We actively encourage people with international development experience and those of African or Asian origin to apply.

Trustees are elected for a four-year term that may be renewed for another four years. Occasionally this is extended further, to make sure specific skills are represented on the Board.

Our Chief Executive is appointed by our Trustees. Along with our Directors, the Chief Executive is responsible for managing our five departments: International Programmes, Policy and Campaigns, Communications and Fundraising, Finance and Information Services, and People and Organisational Development. Our Internal Audit function also reports directly into our Chief Executive.

At WaterAid we are determined to see a world where everyone has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030 and we are committed to maximising our impact to help ensure that this is achieved.

We are very aware of our responsibilities to those who benefit from our work as well as our supporters, donors, staff and the public. In setting pay we take seriously our responsibility to ensure value for money in everything we do, always being effective stewards of our resources. This includes using our money wisely to ensure we pay competitive and fair salaries that enable us to recruit and retain staff with the right values, skills and experience to achieve our mission. We aim to remunerate and to review remuneration in a transparent way.

All of our staff have an annual performance review. We believe that basing an element of pay on performance demonstrates our commitment to value for money, accountability to our stakeholders, and reinforces the importance of high standards of performance for all staff.

Pay scales for all staff are set with reference to market conditions, comparing ourselves with similar not-for-profit organisations. Market pay is determined using recognised salary surveys specialising in the Charity and International Development sector. We seek to pay between the median and upper quartile of these comparators.

Pay ranges for the Chief Executive and Directors are set with reference to market data for each individual role, benchmarked using at least three relevant remuneration surveys.

Each year we consider an increase to be awarded on 1 April. Increases are determined taking into account the benchmark data, individual performance and affordability.

The People Committee of the Board provide assurance that WaterAid’s global remuneration policies and principles are being applied. The Committee reviews all proposed increases for Directors and recommends the remuneration of the Chief Executive for approval by the Board of Trustees.

Our Board of Trustees are not remunerated.

Our annual reports

Our annual reports let you meet the people changing their lives, and see how your support is making a lasting difference around the world.

Value for money

We ensure our resources are put to the best possible use so we can transform even more lives with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

Our fundraising promise

We couldn't do the work we do without you, which is why we value your trust so highly. It's also why we make this promise to you.

WaterAid's Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap

We are committed to fairness and transparency in managing the salaries of staff.