Head to Head with Ian Cain, CEO of Retail and Customer Markets (Pennon)

Our CEO, Jo Causon will be meeting with Ian Cain, CEO of Retail and Customer Markets at Pennon, as part of our Head to Head series to discuss leadership and challenges faced.

Ian became CEO of SES Water in February 2020, bringing extensive experience from senior leadership roles in the UK utilities and service sectors. Before joining SES Water, Ian was CEO of iSupplyEnergy (part of the Vattenfall group, a leading European energy company) for 14 months. Prior to that, he spent over three years as Managing Director for Retail and Group Customer Service at Thames Water and held several senior positions at British Gas (Centrica) — including Managing Director of British Gas Energy, Centrica’s largest consumer business, where he led major customer service and transformation programmes.

Ian has worked closely with regulators, government, customer bodies, and shareholders to deliver trusted services, meet licence obligations and create long-term value. He leads Pennon’s customer strategy and governance, ensuring clarity, accountability and a strong alignment to regulatory expectations, customer insight and industry good practice.

Ian is passionate about creating a customer-first culture built on trust, transparency and innovation. He believes in empowering teams to deliver exceptional service and driving transformation that benefits both customers and communities. His leadership combines strategic vision with a collaborative, people-centred approach, ensuring that every decision puts the customer at the heart of the business.