The Canal & River Trust has introduced a revised executive team structure, with the changes taking effect from Wednesday (1 July 2026) following proposals announced in April.
The charity says the changes reflect a more challenging operating environment, including financial pressures, rising costs, climate change and increasing regulatory requirements. The revised structure combines existing leadership roles with several new and expanded positions.
One of the main changes brings the trust’s operations and engineering functions together within a single division. Malcolm Horne, who has been with the trust for four years, has been appointed chief operations officer.
Susie Mather has been appointed chief policy & communications officer, having led the trust’s communications and external relations for the past three years. Both appointments followed a recruitment process.
A new customer and place division has also been created to oversee boating and customer services while strengthening community engagement. Caroline King will join the trust from Ageas UK on 1 October 2026 to lead the division, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience. Until then, Henriette Breukelaar, who has led the trust’s West Midlands region, takes on the role on an interim basis from 1 July.
Simon Major will join the trust on 5 October 2026 as chief assurance officer. He joins from The King’s Trust and will oversee governance, risk and regulatory compliance. Beth Hawthorn, the trust’s head of legal, will serve in the role on an interim basis from 1 July.
Laura Davies will join the charity from Transport for London on 16 September 2026 as chief of staff. She will support the chief executive and executive team on governance and organisational delivery.
The remaining executive positions of chief financial officer, chief investment officer and chief people officer are unchanged. An interim fundraising director is also reviewing the trust’s plans to increase charitable income to help cover the ongoing costs of maintaining the canal network.
Campbell Robb, chief executive at Canal & River Trust, says: “We’re entering a more demanding and complex period, and these changes ensure we’re set up to respond with focus, pace and clarity.
“This is about building a leadership team that combines experience with fresh thinking, so we can strengthen our impact, deepen our connections with communities and safeguard the long-term future of our canal network.
“We need to increase the pace of work to keep the canal network maintained and available, raising the funds required and making the case for the modern role of canals within society. We will also be taking forward key pieces of work including the boater transformation programme and implementing the recommendations from the independent commission into boat licensing.”
The restructuring also marks the departure of three senior leaders. Julie Sharman, chief operating officer, is retiring from the executive team after 30 years working on the waterways. Heather Clarke, strategy & impact director, is retiring after nearly 29 years with the organisation, while Tom Deards, legal & governance director, will leave the trust at the end of July after 19 years of service.
Campbell continues: “I’d like to pay huge tribute to Julie, Heather and Tom for their significant contribution to the canal network over many years. This includes the journey that took the canals into the charitable sector and the foundations that they put in place for us to take the next steps in ensuring that the canal network prospers and is recognised for the critical infrastructure role that it can play within today’s society.”
The trust says a review of management structures below executive level will follow, although work is still at an early stage. Existing customer services, including emergency contacts, social media channels and licence and mooring communications, will continue unchanged.
Canal & River Trust’s annual National Boat Count, carried out during March 2026 across England and Wales, recorded a 2.1 per cent decrease in boat numbers across the charity’s waterways, while licence evasion remained largely unchanged.
