A WOMAN who held one of the most senior positions in the UK rail industry has taken over at the helm of Northumbrian Water.

Heidi Mottram has become the water company’s chief executive, taking over from John Cuthbert, who steps down after nearly 20 years with the Durham-based business.

She becomes the first woman to take charge of one of the UK’s major water and waste water treatment companies, and joins Northumbrian after a distinguished career in the rail sector which saw her begin as a trainee in the Eighties and go on to become managing director of Northern Rail, receiving an OBE for her services to the sector in the process.

Ms Mottram joins Northumbrian at a significant time for the company, which serves 4.4m people in the North-East and Essex. It implementing its new fiveyearly price regime, which will see customers pay aboveinflation increases next year – but the company’s bills will remain some of the lowest in the country.

“It is also overseeing a major investment programme of developments across the country, including its new £33m anaerobic digestion sewage-to-energy facility on Teesside.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Ms Mottram said she relished the challenge ahead of her, adding: “If you look at the track record of Northumbrian Water, it is a very successful and well-run business, and it’s great to be part of a success story.

“The company has committed to quite significant investment, and there is the fiveyear settlement that has just been done. I look forward to helping to build on the work that has been done and continuing to move the business forward.”

Ms Mottram would not be drawn on plans for the future, saying it was too soon after formally taking over the role on April 1. She said: “It’s very early days and it would be foolhardy for me to come out with some kind of grand plan.

I am not that kind of leader and firmly believe in working with teams to bring everyone’s talents through.”

Ms Mottram’s appointment was widely welcomed when it was announced in December, with the move coming after a rapid rise through the railway industry ranks after she started out as a British Rail operations management trainee in the mid-Eighties.

She took on the role of station manager at Harrogate in 1986, rising quickly through the ranks in positions at Regional Railways North-East – where she helped to oversee the introduction of Trans- Pennine Express services to Middlesbrough and Manchester Airport – Intercity East Coast and GNER, before moving to Midland Mainline in 1999 as operations director.

From there, she became commercial director of Arriva Trains Northern and took on the role of managing director of the newly-formed Northern Rail franchise in 2004.