Our team
John Smith
Associate
John spent 12 years in the privatised water and rail sectors, first as Director of Regulation at Anglian Water and then at Railtrack. In both cases, he directed work for the companies’ first price reviews. For rail, this included the development of charging and incentive regimes and a framework for funding major enhancement projects. Whilst at Anglian he also led work on developing a competition strategy for new industrial customers.
He co-authored a 2003 report for Defra and Ofwat on the Structure of the Water Industry in England – examining the public policy implications of increased reliance on debt financing and funding models in the sector. He was also a member of the Independent Steering Group commissioned by Ofwat to examine the conduct of the 2004 price review and to make recommendations.
John is currently a member of the reporting and specialist panels of the Competition Commission where he has worked on both merger and market inquiries. He also sits on the Steering and Management Boards of the Marine & Fisheries Agency, which has responsibilities for the protection and management of the marine environment. He is an honorary trustee of Groundwork North London, an environmental regeneration charity.
Prior to joining Anglian Water, John was a member of the Government Economic Service and held a number of posts in the Department of the Environment in transport, local government finance and environmental protection and worked on water privatisation. He is interested in regulatory systems, governance and incentive structures, and the financing of major infrastructure projects.