One of the UK’s biggest water retailers has appointed a highly experienced People Director as part of a triple appointment to further strengthen its executive leadership team.

Gail Cockburn (pictured above) has joined Business Stream having spent close to 20 years with the country’s leading whisky distributor, Edrington UK, where she held the post of Human Resources Director.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of People Development, Gail has been appointed to develop and deliver the company’s new people strategy as well as oversee the company’s dedicated people and development function.

Commenting on the appointment Gail said: “I’m passionate about the company’s vision to make a positive difference and hope to bring a lot of experience from my previous positions to help guide and shape Business Stream’s already progressive approach to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for its people”.

Gail’s appointment follows two other appointments to the senior leadership team. Amanda Scovell has been promoted to Director of Operations after three years as Transformation Business Lead and with over 20 years of working within the water industry.

Tom Abel has been promoted to Director of Sales after six successful years in his previous role as Head of Commercial Development. Prior to Business Stream, Tom held several senior positions within both the tech and professional services industry.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream said: “Gail, Amanda and Tom will all bring immense value to our senior leadership team. We have an ambitious growth strategy and these three new appointments will help ensure we’re even better placed to achieve our goals.”

Business Stream has its headquarters in Edinburgh, as well as a presence in Worthing, West Sussex and in Bradford, West Yorkshire. It’s guided by its ambitious vision to make a positive difference (MAPD) to its customers, its people, the environment and local communities.

Since launching that vision in 2019, the retailer has introduced more than 30 initiatives, several of which have contributed to its latest reduction of 50% in carbon emissions over the past year.

While the company achieved a 25% reduction in 2021-22, the 2022-23 figure, which has been externally verified, is a significant step toward Business Stream becoming net zero by 2030, well ahead of the Scottish Government’s 2045 target.

In recognition of its efforts to operate as a responsible business, the retailer was awarded a Gold rating by global sustainability assessors, EcoVadis, in November 2022, placing it within the top 5% of companies measured across four key sustainability areas; the environment, sustainable procurement, labour and working conditions and ethics.