Sydney Water boss removed after six years in the job

Sydney Water boss Roch Cheroux has been removed after six years in the job following a troubled period for the organisation.

Sydney Water boss Roch Cheroux has been removed from the job with the board “initiating” a change in leadership after a troubled period for the organisation.

The Minns government has revealed Mr Cheroux will leave the role he has held for six years, with a recruitment process to be undertaken for a replacement.

Sydney Water recenty came under fire for spending millions of dollars on marketing campaigns at the same time as it sought to increase average household bills by 50 per cent over five years.

Critics claimed the campaigns - including a survey - have been rolled out to help “soften” Sydneysiders to an upcoming bill hike, following negative publicity “forever chemicals” found in its systems.

Sydney Water has declared its water is safe with levels of PFAS found to be “very low” and met Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Change in leadership...... Sydney Water boss Roch Cheroux. Photo: Brad Griffin / Supplied

However, residents in the Blue Mountains are seeking government-funded blood tests and comepnsation amid concerns about PFAS in the local drinking water catchment.

In a statement issued on Friday, Water Minister Rose Jackson praised Mr Cheroux for his role in guiding the organisation through “a range of challenges”, including drought, urban growth and climate impacts.

“His leadership has helped lay the foundations for the future of water in Greater Sydney,” she said.

The statement said the Sydney Water board of directors had “initiated a change in leadership” to support the organisation’s transition to the next phase of “delivery and strategic planning”.

In the interim, Sydney Water’s Executive General Manager, Paul Plowman, will be the Acting Chief Executive.

Sydney Water board chair Niall Blair thanked Mr Cheroux for his “leadership, professionalism and dedication” over the past six years.

“Roch has been instrumental in modernising the organisation and preparing it for the long-term challenges of water security, infrastructure delivery and customer service in a rapidly growing city,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph recently revealed how the organisation had poured more than $8 million into advertising and sponsorships.

The expenditure is on top of thousands of more dollars spent on a survey asking customers what they think of the organisation.

The 15 minute survey - conducted by research company Fiftyfive5 - was been slammed by independent MP Rod Roberts who said Sydney Water appeared to be more concerned about image than delivering water.

“I believe most people would just want Sydney Water to make sure water comes out of their tap, and that it’s clean, drinkable and affordable,” he said.

“In a cost of living crisis, consumers would expect that Sydney Water would do all it could to keep prices down and not waste money on an unnecessary and pointless survey.

“How can Sydney Water justify an application to IPART to increase prices when they waste so much money on things such as this survey. Sydney Water has a monopoly - consumers don’t have any other choice. If they want their consumers’ opinions on their product, they could just check with their complaints department.”

The Australian Services Union (ASU) hailed the departure of Mr Cheroux as “a victory for workers”, calling it a long-overdue opportunity to reset the workplace, “end wasteful spending”, and “restore fair treatment for workers.”

Mr Cheroux - who was on a salary of between $600-700,000 - was appointed by the former NSW Coalition government, which the union claimed had been on a mission to privatise the asset.

It has called on the board and the Minns government to use the departure as a reset, with a “more respectful and collaborative” approach between management and Sydney Water’s unionised workforce, an end to “excessive executive pay” and a crackdown on outsourcing.

“The Minns Government has enshrined Sydney Water’s public ownership into the constitution, but the backdoor privatisation of jobs and expertise must stop,” said Australian Services Union NSW & ACT secretary Angus McFarland.

“Workers are ready to rebuild a stable, constructive and positive relationship with a new Managing Director at Sydney Water, and we expect the new Managing Director to do the same with its workforce.”

Originally published as Sydney Water boss removed after six years in the job