Craig Bennett – Chair of the Independent Challenge Group

Craig Bennett is the Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trusts and has been described as “one of the country’s top environmental campaigners”. He was formerly CEO of Friends of the Earth, where he refocussed the organisation to empower communities to take action on the climate and ecological crises.

From 2007 to 2010, Craig was Deputy Director at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and was also Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLG).  

Alongside 20 years’ experience of designing and contributing to executive education and leadership programmes at numerous universities and business schools around the world, Craig has a long history of providing advice and constructive challenge direct to CEOs and company boards. As well as chairing Anglian Water’s Independent Challenge Group, Craig is also a member of the Innovation Lab for Marks and Spencer plc. He was previously a member of the Net Positive Board for Kingfisher plc. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM). 

Peter Holt – Chief Executive, Uttlesford District Council

Peter Holt moved to Essex and joined Uttlesford District Council as Chief Executive in October 2021, after three years at South Northamptonshire Council, where he was Assistant Chief Executive. 

Peter’s career has taken him from working in Parliament in his 20s through six years in the NHS, four years in senior civilian roles in policing, and in director roles in councils since 2006, both in-house and as an interim, consultant and peer reviewer, helping authorities deliver specific projects and address a range of challenges and crises. His work has taken him all over the UK, and he has lived and worked in London, Dorset, Cornwall, Bristol, Oxford, Northants, Powys, Belfast, Cheshire, Newcastle and Paisley. 

Having started his career in communication roles, Peter has broadened his skillset into general management. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and also a Chartered Practitioner; he completed a law degree with the Open University, and is currently approaching the end of his studies for an MBA, also in his spare time. Uniquely for a council Chief Executive, Peter has also served as a council leader in a London borough, retiring from politics in his early 30s to focus instead on his professional career.  

Jo Lancaster - Independent Challenge Group member

Joanne Lancaster has spent over 30 years working in the public sector across the Midlands and East of England, retiring after serving as Managing Director at Huntingdonshire District Council for ten years, from 2013 to 2023. She began her career in local government as a town planner and has worked extensively on many types of development. Latterly, her career focused on strategy and partnerships, working across sectors to ensure that people and places thrive.  Joanne is a strong supporter of good quality, efficient public services and has always been the voice of the customer and resident. She is now dedicating time to developing a portfolio of non executive roles in the charity, education and health sectors and brings her experience and customer focus to support the work of the Independent Challenge Group.

Dr Nathan Richardson – Head of Policy, WaterWise

Nathan Richardson has more than 30 years’ experience in the water sector in research, consultancy, industry and policy roles. Most of this has been in the Anglian region where he lives with his family. His career has focussed on developing solutions to water scarcity, pollution and flood risk pressures. 

Nathan is a past chair of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) East Anglian branch, representing more than 2,000 water management professionals in the region. He also sits on the Blueprint for Water NGO coalition which brings together 16 environmental organisations, representing more than 6 million members, with an interest in water matters. 

Justin Tilley – Manager, West Anglia Team, Natural England

Justin Tilley has worked for Natural England and predecessor bodies for the best part of 20 years, carrying out a number of frontline positions related to ecology and nature conservation. Much of this time has been spent on initiatives to enhance the natural environment for wildlife and people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northants, Essex and Hertfordshire. 

More recently, Justin has moved into leadership roles in local delivery, including areas such as sustainable development, national nature reserves, the creation of the Nature Recovery Network, and an array of topics related to our water environment. This wide remit includes looking for where Natural England can both deliver their statutory remit, but also shape and influence others to do more for the natural environment through effective partnership working.

Justin is also a Trustee of the Langdyke Countryside Trust, a conservation charity operating across the ‘John Clare Countryside’ west of Peterborough, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

John Vinson, Head of Company Engagement, CCW

John Vinson is an experienced director and commercial strategist with 25 years’ experience of working within regulated and non-regulated industries, both in the UK and abroad. Before joining CCW, he was Commercial Director at Vortex IoT. Previously, he ran his own consultancy advising start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the innovation sector.

John has worked in all sectors of the water industry including wholesale, retail, New Appointments and Variations (small, regulated water companies), private water service businesses, consumer advocacy and private consultancy. He has also served on the water retail market Interim Code Panel and Code Panel, as well as several sub committees and groups. 

John is a director, trustee and holds an MA in Business and the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma. He is also a mentor for the SetSquared Partnership – an enterprise collaboration between six leading research-intensive universities, and for the Institute of Water mentoring scheme.