Water company defends CEO’s £80,000 pay rise.
Wessex Water has defended a £80,000 pay rise awarded to its chief executive, saying it brings her salary “closer to market benchmarks”.
Ruth Jefferson’s pay increased by almost 14% to £670,000, after the company said it was “deliberately set below comparable organisations” when she took on the role in 2024.
Prem Sikka, Emeritus Professor of Accounting. Member, UK House of Lords, comments:
WW loses 20.9% of its distributed water to leaks. Dumps sewage in rivers. Has criminal convictions. Customers fleeced. But CEO rewarded for failures. Nothing will change until profit motive is removed.
