Iain Coucher

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Iain Michael Coucher (born 22 August 1961) is the chair of Ofwat, the water regulator. He was the chief executive of the Atomic Weapons Establishment and, from 2007 to 2010, the chief executive of Network Rail.

Early life
Coucher was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and grew up in Doncaster and Leeds. His father worked for the electricity generating board. He studied aeronautical engineering at Imperial College London, where he earned a BSc in 1982, and later completed an MBA at Henley Management College.

Career
He began his career as an air-to-ground missile designer for Hunting Engineering in 1982. He then worked in IT services with EDS, helping on the Oyster card project. In 1999 he started a transport consultancy, Coucher Pender, and served as Tube Lines’ chief executive from 1999 to 2001. He helped with the creation of Network Rail after Railtrack collapsed in 2002 and became Deputy Chief Executive of Network Rail in 2002, rising to Chief Executive in July 2007. In 2009 his salary was about £613,000. He said he would step down in June 2010, left Network Rail in October 2010, and received a £1.6 million payout. His successor, David Higgins, started in February 2011.

Controversies and later roles
Coucher faced media claims about bullying and a financial issue involving a former colleague, Victoria Pender, but internal and independent reviews cleared him of wrongdoing.

In January 2016 he became Chief Executive of the Atomic Weapons Establishment. In May 2022 he was appointed chairman of Ofwat.

Personal life
He is married to Tanya Nightingale (since 1993) and has a son (born 1995) and a daughter (born 1998). He lives in Argyll & Bute, Scotland, and enjoys cycling and birdwatching. He owns a country house and a 173-acre estate by Loch Sween named "Iainland." He has previously been married and once considered a career as a pilot. He drives an Aston Martin DB9.