About Us

About the UK Water Partnership

The Partnership was established in 2015 to provide a strategic vision for the development and growth of the UK water industry.

It brings together a diverse water sector and related organisations in a single coherent alliance, promoting mutual understanding, cooperation and coordination.

Together with our members, we support research excellence, promote collaborative innovation and drive economic growth in the UK water economy.

Our core aims are:

  • Identify key strategic water challenges and establish pathways and funding mechanisms to stimulate a step change in action.
  • Create national water partnerships with the UK Governments and their agencies, businesses and the research community to address our national water challenges and global water responsibility.
  • Provide a platform to identify and promote overseas our UK water services, research and technologies to increase our share of the $500 billion global water market and to foster international partnerships.

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    Meet The Team

    Sarah Hendry CBE

    Chair, UKWP

  • Sarah Hendry has been the Director General of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) since 2018. After studying Modern Languages at Oxford University, she was a civil servant for nearly 30 years, working mostly within Defra but also in the Cabinet Office and Department of Health. She was a Director for 12 years, covering a wide range of policy areas including rural development, Common Agricultural Policy reform, animal health and welfare, farming, forestry, climate change, global and public health. From 2015 – 18, Sarah was the Defra director for Floods and Water policy and a member of the UKWP Leadership Council.

    • Tom Flood

    Director, UKWP

  • Experienced Member Board Of Directors with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Sustainable Development, Social Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Partnerships. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor's degree focused in English and Politics from newbridge co kildare ireland.

    • Chris Newsome

    Director, UKWP

  • 40+ years of experience in managing large asset bases/infrastructure. Civil Engineering background. Known as a leader in collaboration and innovation across the supply chain leading to reductions in Carbon and Cost. 14 years main board executive experience and now a growing non executive portfolio.

    • Hans Jensen

    Director, UKWP

  • An experienced senior manager with strong leadership skills, strategic perspective and technical competence. Over 20 years of power industry experience within regulatory management, policy development, international project development and operations. Strong aptitude for communication at all levels and building and managing effective teams. Key strengths: strategic focus, risk management and problem solving, Business Development, leadership and team management and managing change.

    • UK Water - What Matters

    • Benefits of Joining - Influence

      • Work directly with government departments to facilitate faster take-up of innovation and greater commercialisation both here and overseas. Partnership working means an open dialogue with officials and Ministers. You will be helping to shape the government’s priorities for research, innovation and capability in water and the linked interactions with investments in, for example, food, energy and cities.
      • Access insights and networks not otherwise enjoyed: for businesses and other users, it will give better access to science information and capability; for the academic community, it will give access to a wide end-user community which will help accelerate uptake and impact of research.
      • Be part of a 'collective voice' which is UK-wide and up to now has been absent.
      • Help to 'shape the debate' in partnership within the wider water-dependent community.

      This will be via involvement in activities and events run by the partnership, consultations and informal interactions with members.

    • Benefits of Joining - Visibility

      Supporting the partnership will help you:

      • Raise your organisation’s profile.
      • Develop new collaborations.

      This will be via presence on the website, facilities register, newsletter features, logo in UK Water Partnership literature, and engagement in events

    • Benefits of Joining - Delivery

      • Supporting the partnership will bring opportunities to play an active part in ‘research to market' processes and products.

      This will be via membership of the Leadership Council or participation in partnership Delivery Groups (e.g. Digital Water, Flood Resilience, Accelerator).

    Our Supporters

    The UK Water Partnership would like to acknowledge the support received from the following organisations.