Water Witness Founder Steps Down After 17 Years

Water Witness founder and CEO Dr Nick Hepworth has stepped down after 17 years to take up a research position at the University of Edinburgh. The Scotland-based charity will move to a shared leadership model led by four executive directors. Hepworth founded the organization to address the global water crisis and has led its expansion from east Africa to teams and partners across Africa and beyond. Water Witness also helped shape the UK Government’s £39 million Just Transition for Water Security program announced at COP28.

Shared Leadership Team

The new leadership team comprises Lexi Parfitt, Executive Director for Public and Political Engagement; Charles Wight, Executive Director for Research and Policy; Dorcas Pratt, Executive Director for Operations and Impact; and Helen Greene, Executive Director for Corporate Services.

Hepworth will continue to support Water Witness in a strategic capacity, contributing expertise, learning and relationships as the organization develops its future work.

A New Chapter

During his tenure, Hepworth’s research and advocacy work brought water justice into discussions on climate change, global supply chains and corporate responsibility. He also co-founded the Alliance for Water Stewardship and authored the Glasgow Declaration for Fair Water Footprints.

Dr Nick Hepworth, founder and former CEO at Water Witness, said:

“Having founded Water Witness as a Scottish charity almost two decades ago, it has always been my ambition to build an organisation that one day thrives without me and that continues to grow and find ever more effective ways to tackle the global climate and water emergencies.

We have an exceptional team delivering outstanding work, a committed and experienced Board of Trustees, and a highly capable and trusted Senior Leadership Team. Together, these foundations make it the right time to evolve our leadership model, while enabling me to pursue new challenges in my own career and to support Water Witness in new ways.”

Continuing Water Justice Work

Water Witness said Hepworth’s contribution has helped establish the organization as a respected voice for a fairer and more water-secure world, as well as building a strong foundation for the work still to be done.