New Thames Water chairman says exit of former boss was a ‘surprise’
New Thames Water chairman says former chief exec Sarah Bentley’s departure was a ‘surprise’
‘Shock’: Former Thames Water boss Sarah Bentley resigned last month
Thames Water’s new chairman has said the former boss’s departure was a “surprise”.
The country’s largest water group announced the resignation of chief executive Sarah Bentley last month, hours before it was announced that ministers were drawing up contingency plans in case the Thames collapsed.
Appearing before MPs yesterday, Sir Adrian Montague said he believed Bentley ‘may have gotten to the point where he felt the burden of office was significant and it was a wholly personal decision, where I don’t think we get involved were involved’.
The exit came amid mounting criticism of its leadership, Thames Water and the wider industry, which has come under attack for leaks and the dumping of sewage into waterways.
Bentley’s salary for the 2022-23 financial year was £1.6 million. There were concerns in June that Thames would collapse, but it secured a £750m cash injection from shareholders, saying a further £2.5bn will be needed by 2030 to overcome a £14bn mountain of debt .