Roch Cheroux is taking over as chief executive of Welsh Water from Peter Perry, who received a total of £892,000 in remuneration in 2021
07:49, 27 Aug 2025Updated 08:56, 27 Aug 2025
Roch Cheroux has been announced as the new chief executive of Welsh Water(Image: Welsh Water)
The man who will take on one of the highest paid jobs in Wales has been announced. Roch Cheroux has been appointed as the new chief executive of the not-for-profit water company Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, which serves over three million people across Wales, Herefordshire and parts of Deeside.
Mr Cheroux will succeed current chief executive Peter Perry who is retiring in spring 2026. Earlier this year, the Dwr Cymru boss was forced to defend his salary and bonuses to MPs.
In 2021, Mr Perry received a total of £892,000 in remuneration – a combination of salary, benefits, pension, variable pay, and incentives. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
In 2024, the chief executive also took a bonus of £91,000. Welsh Water operates a public service and is as a not-for-profit body meaning it has no shareholders. It is not controlled by the government but is heavily regulated and is listed as a company limited by guarantee.
Its chief executive is more highly paid than any public sector worker in Wales but the organisation says it should not be considered part of the public sector, despite not being privately owned.
At the UK Parliament’s environment committee, Mr Perry was asked by Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell about his salary and bonus entitlement in light of “water security, environmental performance, water quality”.
Mr Perry replied: “We don’t have the term ‘bonus’ – we have the term ‘variable pay’ and variable pay puts at risk a potential earnings based on performance.”
He said in 2021 there was a four-star environmental performance for Dwr Cymru but the year where he took a £91,000 bonus it was only 25% of what he could have had earned because “100% of our variable pay is entirely based on performance”. He said he believed the system was “reflective of performance”.
“I personally have no influence over my pay – that’s decided by an independent committee of the board – and the one thing I would say is it’s significant. I can’t say anything else about that but it is very much linked to performance and if we don’t perform then we don’t reach our earnings potential,” he said.
In Welsh Water’s latest accounts, it said the CEO’s base salary was now £460,000 with the potential to early an additional 135% of his base salarty, or £621,000 in bonuses (which Welsh Water calls variable pay) on top. If paid out in full, it would take the CEO’s annual pay to £1,081,000.
Welsh Water’s bonus system for its two executive directors, the chief executive and chief financial officer, offers them the potential to earn an additional 75% of their base salary for hitting annual performance measures and an additional 60% of salary for hitting longer-term performance measures.
In its accounts, the organisation says the additional pay is designed to “appropriately and proportionately incentivise our Executive Directors both now and, in the future, to achieve the milestones that we have set.”
The new chief executive has three decades of experience in the water industry and worked as chief executive at Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility between 2019 and March 2025.
Dwr Cymru said Mr Cheroux is “widely respected for his focus on sustainability, customer service, and operational excellence.”
The announcement from the not-for-profit company added: “His appointment comes at a critical time for Welsh Water as the sector responds to growing public expectations, environmental pressures, and regulatory reform.”
Mr Cheroux will join the company on October 6 and formally take on the role of chief executive in the new year.
Speaking about his appointment, Roch Cheroux said: “It is a real privilege to be joining Dwr Cymru – a company with a clear public purpose and a unique not-for-profit model that puts customers and communities first. Its unique model was a significant factor in my decision to move to Welsh Water.
“It is a pivotal time for the company and the sector. The far-reaching reforms proposed by the Independent Water Commission together with Dwr Cymru’s ambitious investment programme for the next five years means it’s an exciting time to join the company. I’m looking forward to working with the team, Governments, regulators and our customers, to deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers, communities and the environment.”
Jane Hanson CBE, Chair of Glas Cymru, said: “Roch brings a strong international track record of leading high-performing, customer-focused water companies. His experience will be invaluable as we navigate significant change both in terms of the reform of the water sector, but also by working closely with the Board to ensure a laser-like focus on performance improvement and that every penny of our customers’ bills is used for greatest impact.
“We are delighted to welcome Roch to Dwr Cymru at such a critical time for the company. Our rigorous recruitment exercise involved an extensive selection process – and considered high-quality candidates from Wales, the rest of the UK and from around the globe, ensuring that we appointed the best possible candidate to deliver our most ambitious business plan ever.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Peter Perry, whose leadership has been instrumental over the past five years. Under his guidance, Dwr Cymru has remained resilient through the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the most challenging operational incidents in decades and also increasing environmental pressures—all while delivering for customers and staying true to its not-for-profit values. On behalf of the Board and the wider business, I want to thank Peter for his exceptional contribution and wish him every success for the future.”