The Company is managed by a Court
The Company is managed by a Court comprising a Master, Wardens and Court Assistants.
The Master and Thames, Fleet and Walbrook Wardens are elected annually, usually for a period of one year. On appointment, Wardens appoint Bailiffs from Liverymen not on the Court to assist them during their whole period of office. Court Assistants generally serve at least three years.
The Company is supported by officers, principally the Clerk and the Beadle, and by a number of honorary appointments relevant to the business, for example, the Hon Chaplain and the Bargemaster.
Tom Flood CBE was installed as the Master in July 2026.
Tom was born and educated in Southern Ireland where he gained a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. In 1972 he emigrated to the UK. His first sales and marketing position was with 3M UK. He then joined the voluntary sector, The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Over a 26 year career, 12 as a CEO he made this a UK wide organization recognized as ‘Charity of the Year’. Its Patron was the late Duke of Edinburgh. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE for services to conservation. A founder member of the UK Water Partnership (with Past Master Mark Lane) they helped to establish a private public body. Today it provides thought leadership, informed research and collaboration to drive innovation in a diverse water community. Its relevance is reflected in the public debate about the quality of water.
In 2021, he became Chair of the Dorset Community Foundation, a grant giving body. He also manages the Paul Cornes Fund, which is a living legacy to his late civil partner who sadly died during Covid of prostate cancer. He was recently elected President nominee for the Rotary Club of Poole.
Tom divides his time between Farrington EC1 and Bournemouth. He’s a keen gardener, amateur chef and explorer of the Dorset countryside. He’s also a co-owner of a Patterdale Terrier ‘Miss Jessie’ – she’s great company.
Alex Money was installed as the Thames Warden in July 2026.
Alex grew up in Zambia, and his interest in water security stems from his formative years living in a developing country. He has around 30 years of professional experience in finance, academia and enterprise. Having started his career as an emerging markets fund manager, Alex subsequently co-founded a capital markets advisory firm with a focus on making the investment case for sustainability. He exited the firm in his thirties to return to university, gaining master’s and doctoral degrees in water at the University of Oxford. Alex joined the University’s faculty in 2014 as a programme director within the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Here, his research is focused on mobilising investment to achieve improved sustainable development outcomes. In addition to teaching and supervisory responsibilities, Alex is one of the leads of a £100m programme on climate compatible growth, funded by the FCDO.
More recently, Alex founded Watermarq, a for-purpose company that seeks to break the status quo on how water is valued. The company works at the intersection of economics, policy and technological innovation. Watermarq’s solutions use remote sensing, in situ, and contextual data, enhanced through machine learning and AI.
Alex is also Chair of Trustees at the Uptime Catalyst Facility, a registered UK charity that mobilises funding for rural water infrastructure maintenance in developing countries, using innovative results-based contracts.
Dr David Lloyd Owen, CEnv (FCIWEM, MCIEEM), CGeog (FRGS) was installed as Fleet Warden in July 2026.
After a Doctorate in Applied Ecology at Oxford, David ended up in the ‘City’ as a technology and mobile communications analyst in 1986. An astute move with smart water in mind. In 1989, He became a water and waste management analyst. Two years later he co-founded an environmental finance boutique which over time introduced him to his true vocation, consulting about the water sector, which has kept him busy for the past thirty years, ending up with his founding Envisager.
In 1999, Polly and David moved to west Wales, where their children grew up. Looking back, he was something of a pioneer of working from home. Since 2000, he has advised the Pictet Water Fund, the first and largest dedicated water equity fund. He also writes for Global Water Intelligence and the UK Water Report and has written (amongst others) three books on water management, technology and finance. He was Mayor of Cardigan in 2003-04 and is a director of local cultural and publishing initiatives.
The countryside, reading, music, cooking and good wine occupy his free time along with an endless desire to write more books, especially exploring the challenges our water services are faced with. His particular interests with the Company are developing its policy work (coordinating the Company’s responses to various consultations from Governmental and other bodies), informing members about emerging areas of concern and supporting debates and discussions.
Neil Reynolds BSc (Hons), CEng, FICE, CEnv, CMgr CCMI was installed as the Walbrook Warden in July 2026.
Neil is a Chartered Civil Engineer, business leader, and board adviser with more than 40 years’ experience delivering major infrastructure, water, energy, transportation, and high-technology projects across the globe.
Beginning his career on construction sites before progressing to international executive leadership, Neil has led businesses employing up to 2,500 people and held senior leadership roles with global engineering and construction organisations, including CH2M (now Jacobs), where he led the International Water Business. His experience spans project delivery, business transformation, governance, strategic growth, and organisational leadership.
Today, Neil maintains a portfolio of advisory and non-executive roles across infrastructure, water, energy, transportation, aquaculture, and technology sectors. He provides strategic advice on governance, growth, investment, and leadership to organisations in both the public and private sectors.
A passionate advocate for engineering, leadership, and public service, Neil is Chair of the Chartered Management Institute Wales and Immediate Past Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers Cymru Wales. He is a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman and Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators.
Neil is guided by a strong belief that infrastructure – and particularly water – underpins the health, prosperity, and resilience of communities. Outside work, he supports STEM education, environmental stewardship, and has raised more than £55,000 for cancer charities through endurance cycling challenges.
Carolyn Roberts was installed as Deputy Master in July 2026.
Carolyn is a water resource management and science communication specialist who has worked, researched and published across the world. She specialises in the impact of human activity on the water cycle and water quality, including the impact of housing, industry, mining and waste disposal, but has wide interests in environmental management. Carolyn was Technical Advisor to Gloucestershire County Council following the dramatic flooding of 2007 that led to changes in UK flooding policy.
After an academic career at Exeter including the Head of the School of Environment and Director of the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Gloucestershire University, she moved to Oxford University, directing a national programme that linked industry with researchers to foster the development of innovative environmental technologies. At Oxford Carolyn worked with hundreds of businesses – multinationals to SMEs and also assisted the government to promote UK technical expertise internationally.
Carolyn was first Professor of Environment at Gresham College in London, delivering public lectures and following in the footsteps of Christopher Wren and Thomas Hooke! She remains as Professor Emeritus and a Fellow of the College.
The term ‘Bailiff’, derives from the Latin bailus – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction was committed. Today, Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offices and duties vary greatly.
In the Water Conservators’ Company, each new Warden is entitled to appoint a Bailiff from among Liverymen not on the Court, who retains that office until the Warden has been Master. To a great extent, what the Bailiff does rather depends on the Warden. One task is usually to look out for guests of the Company at formal events, and ensure that they are introduced to their host for the day.
The Bailiff may work with the Warden to plan his/her year as Master, especially with regard to the planning of informal, social events, but may also act as a sounding board for ideas about the aims and objectives that the future Master hopes to achieve. During the Master’s year, the Bailiff may assist in the organization and running of the planned informal events.
The current bailiffs are:
The Master’s Bailiff, Mr. Tom Morton:
Court Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators are elected annually.
The Court Assistants (including *Past Masters on the Court and **Hon. Treasurer) for 2026 – 2027 are:
Rodney Amster
Brett Bader
Allan Barton
*Dylan Barker
Ramon Bravo Gonzalez
*Professor Martin Bigg
Nigel Cartwright, OBE
*Colin Drummond, OBE DL
Afzal Ginwalla
Trevor Harrington
Stuart Herritty
John Hirst CBE
Christine Jarvis
*Mark Lane
**Ken Marsh (Hon. Treasurer):
Lee Morton
Dinah Nichols, CB
Yusaf Samiullah, OBE
Guy Titman
The position of Bargemaster is held by Past Master David Jones.
Chris Millett was installed as our new Clerk at the Michaelmas Court on 25 September 2024.
Chris brings to the Company a diverse set of experiences gained in commercial and financial fields and management and strategy planning skills learned via a full career in the armed forces. Chris is a recently retired Colonel from the Defence Medical Services, where he led and worked alongside an International Defence Liaison team at the Ministry of Defence in London.
Chris is a liveryman of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, enjoys livery life and the opportunity to participate in events and traditions of the City of London. He lives next to the river Thames in Putney, south-west London with his wife Caroline (who is a solicitor) and their young daughter.
Our Beadle Mark Anderson was born in Ipswich.
Soon after the family moved to Cornwall and Mark was brought up in Penzance. Mark attended the local grammar school and at 16, left to join the Army. He was assigned to join the Royal Corps of Signals serving in Northern Ireland, Germany, the Middle East, and the Balkans. In 2000 Mark was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 1 and posted to Middlesbrough as the Regimental Sergeant Major of 34th (Northern) Signal Regiment. In 2003 Mark was appointed as the Office Manager in Northampton’s Army Recruiting Office.
In 2010, Mark was selected to become a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. Apart from the usual duties associated with that position, Mark is a member of the team who look after the Ravens.
Mark has been married to Sandi for thirty nine years; they have three grown up children and three grandchildren. In his spare time, Mark is a member of the London City Voices Community Choir.
When not in London, Mark lives in Leicester, and visits his local rugby club where he is an Honorary Vice President. He is also writing two novels and hopes to publish them at some time in the future.
Beadle, sometimes spelled “bedel” is from the Latin “bidellus” or “bedellus”, rooted in words for “herald”, an official of the Roman Temple.
The Livery Companies, as they evolved, needed a point of contact between the Master, Wardens, and Court of Assistants and the Livery in general. They therefore appointed (and paid for) a Beadle, who took care of the Company’s meeting place (‘Hall’), called the Court members and/or Livery together on behalf of the Master, and enforced any disciplinary measures decided by the Court.
He would be issued with a Staff of Office, often wrongly called a mace, with which to protect the Master and enforce discipline. The Staff is usually a tall one so that it could be used as a rallying point at Common Hall etc. when the Livery was summoned to “Attend upon the Master”.
The position is vacant.