Calisen appoints smart water meter expert Gary Adams as Director in its growing Water business

Calisen has appointed Gary Adams as its Operations Director for Water. Gary joins from Northumbrian Water, where he was responsible for a £160 million programme delivering end-to-end metering operations, smart technology deployment and community engagement, and managed a 220-strong field and office-based team. He has worked across regulated utilities and large-scale transformation programmes for over 20 years.

Gary will take operational leadership of Calisen's Water business, drawing on his expertise in metering transformation and programme delivery to support the continued expansion of the division.

Commenting on the appointment, Catherine O'Kelly, CEO of Calisen, said:

"Gary’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the water sector. With demand predicted to outstrip supply in the 2050s in the UK - and shortfalls forewarned for the mid-2030s - it is vital we radically reduce the billions of litres of water lost to leaks every year. Smart metering is central to that challenge, enabling water companies to detect leakage, optimise networks, and engage customers in reducing consumption. Gary's experience leading one of the most complex metering transformation programmes in the UK water sector is exactly what we need as we step up to play our part in solving this critical national issue.”

Gary Adams, Operations Director for Water at Calisen, added:

“The water sector is on the cusp of its largest regulatory and structural reform in a generation, and Calisen is laying the foundations to play a leading role in that shift. Having spent much of my career at the intersection of utilities, technology and large-scale operational change, I have seen first-hand how transformative the right infrastructure and data capabilities can be for customers and communities. Delivering against the sector's evolving expectations requires more than installing meters. It requires integrated operational models, strong programme governance and the ability to convert data into actionable outcomes. Calisen has the scale, financial strength and technical capability to support water companies through this transition, and I am excited to join a business with the ambition to make a real difference.”

The Government's proposed Clean Water Bill, announced last week, sets out a new legislative and regulatory framework that brings together the functions of Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England into a single regulatory body – representing the most significant structural reform to the sector in decades. As the industry prepares for this transition, Calisen's investment in experienced operational leadership underlines its ambition to play a leading role in delivering smarter, more resilient water infrastructure.

Notes to editors

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About Calisen Group

Calisen Group Holdings Limited (“Calisen”) has been operating in the modernisation of metering systems for over a decade, originating in Manchester and Wigan in the UK. Calisen has grown substantially in this time and is now the leading owner and operator of essential energy infrastructure assets, with around 16m meters, including around 40% of all smart energy meters in UK homes. Calisen’s purpose is to contribute to the transition of the country’s energy and water systems from analogue to intelligent technology, making them more efficient, more resilient and giving people the power to connect to market innovations like flexible tariffs and home generation like solar.

The Group employs approximately 1,500 people from its offices in Manchester, Market Harborough, London, Wigan and Portsmouth. Calisen also announced the launch of its first international business in Germany in November 2025.

For further information, please visit www.calisen.com