Watertight International, a leading flood risk mitigation specialist, has announced the appointment of Derek Bell as its new Client Services Director. Derek joins the company with a wealth of experience in flood risk management and emergency planning, bringing over 20 years of expertise to the team.
In his new role, Derek will work closely with Watertight’s operations team to provide strategic project support and planning, as well as support the team’s community engagement work with those facing the ongoing, and increased, threat of flooding.
Derek spent seven years at the Environment Agency as a Senior Advisor for the FCERM (Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management) directorate. During his time there, he worked on a number of key initiatives, including the development and delivery of the CIWEM Code of Practice programme, the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Framework contract, and contributed to the Community of Practice PFR group, with a focus on standardising PFR delivery across the industry.
Prior to this, Derek was deeply involved in flood response, working with local resilience forums and civil contingency teams in Yorkshire and the East Midlands, and spending 12 years in emergency planning roles with local authorities.
Derek Bell expressed his enthusiasm about joining Watertight, confirming: “I’ve been involved in every aspect of emergency planning and flood risk management, from being on the sharp end of response efforts to managing national strategic initiatives with the Environment Agency. I’m excited to now apply my knowledge at Watertight and support the delivery of flood mitigation measures across the country. Watertight is leading the way in this field, and I’m proud to be joining such a dedicated team.”
Gareth Boyd, CEO of Watertight, commented on Derek’s appointment: “We’re thrilled to have Derek join the Watertight team. His extensive experience and deep understanding of flood risk management and emergency planning will be invaluable as we continue to deliver high-quality mitigation measures across the country. Derek’s leadership will be key to supporting our ongoing mission to help protect communities from flood risks.”
