Veolia, the world leader in ecological transformation, announces that Richard Kirkman has been appointed CEO of Veolia for Northern Europe, and will therefore also become CEO of the UK business, from 2 April 2026. Richard knows the UK well, having spent 26 years leading the building and operation of key infrastructure for Veolia in the UK between 1995 and 2020.
Most recently, Richard was CEO of Veolia in Australia & New Zealand, based in Sydney and managed the transformation of the zone which doubled in size over five years. Richard led Veolia’s Pacific operations responsible for 4$AUD billion in revenue, 7,000 people, and 350 operational sites.
In his new role, Richard will oversee operations across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and the Netherlands which provide services to industrial, municipal and commercial clients. This zone comprises almost 20,000 people and £4bn in revenue, with operations and combined operations across water, waste and energy. Richard will also head up growth and innovation at Veolia Group level, helping accelerate organic growth and new innovative offerings worldwide, and he also joins Veolia Group’s Executive Committee.
Gavin Graveson, outgoing Senior Vice-President, Northern Europe and CEO, UK at Veolia has been appointed CEO of the Group’s Asia Pacific Zone effective from 2 April 2026. He will continue as a member of the Group Executive Committee.
As Veolia successfully completes the first phase of its strategic programme GreenUp, the Group is entering a new phase. Its ambition is to accelerate the transformation underway to sustainably strengthen its growth trajectory, stimulate innovation, and support international development, while continuing the solidity and performance of its operational fundamentals. It is in this context that several changes in management and appointments are being made to strengthen the global organisation.
Richard Kirkman commented: “I am looking forward to building on the excellence that Gavin and the team have delivered across Northern Europe and supporting my colleagues as we drive to complete our GreenUp ambitions.
“Environmental security is essential for public and private entities across the zone and our innovative solutions are primed to support economic growth with sustainable sovereignty.”
What Richard brings to Northern Europe
Richard brings three decades of global leadership experience, having driven innovation in environmental solutions and infrastructure development across European and Pacific markets. As an engineer with a doctorate in Infrastructure for the Circular Economy, his experience lies in developing complex projects with expert teams to deliver growth in reuse, recycling and decarbonisation sectors. In his previous roles at Veolia UK, he led the development of strategic infrastructure including energy recovery facilities, recycling plants, water treatment assets, plastic recycling and composting activities.
