From the Ground Up: Building a Business That Stands Against the Flood
An Interview with Gareth Boyd, CEO of Watertight International
“I’ve never been someone with a five-year plan. My career has been shaped less by grand strategy and more by instinct, opportunity and a desire to make a meaningful difference.
When I joined Watertight International back in 2014, I recognised a business and sector with massive untapped potential. The flood resilience sector was still in its infancy but the need for real, practical solutions was growing fast.
Since then, we've grown Watertight into the UK’s leading Property Flood Resilience (PFR) provider: not through luck but by building on strong foundations, learning from experience and focusing on people and relationships with key stakeholders.”
Gareth Boyd
Where did it all begin?
“I was born and raised in Bangor, Northern Ireland, where I still live with my wife and four children. After Bangor Grammar, I went on to study law at Queen’s University Belfast, but I always knew I wanted to run a business. I decided to train as an accountant after graduating, not because I wanted to be one long-term but because I wanted to understand the financial mechanics of running a business.
That decision paid off. I bought a small business in Bangor and ran it for a while, before moving back into finance. I’ve always believed the best way to learn is by doing.”
How did your career take shape?
“My first real taste of corporate leadership came as Group Financial Director at Rich Sauces and later as Financial Director of Finlay Communications, a telecoms firm with the contract for SKY TV, managing 4,000 installations per week in Ireland with 140 engineers on the road.
When the company was acquired around 2010, the new owners introduced me to another business they owned and I became Managing Director of Energystore, leading energy retrofit programmes across Ireland and the UK. One of our biggest wins was securing a contract to manage the national retrofit scheme for the Irish oil industry under the Enprova brand.
After that, I accepted an opportunity to work with US investors at Windyfields, an onshore wind farm development business in Northern Ireland. We had big plans, but a sudden change in planning policy pulled the rug from under us - a hard lesson in the realities of working with government but one that has stood me in good stead.”
What led you to the flood resilience industry?
“At that time, a good friend of mine, Chris, who was working in the environmental sector, came to me with an idea. He’d been looking into flood protection as an emerging growth area. One company stood out, Watertight, which at the time made plastic non-return valves.
The opportunity to scale something with real impact was clear. Chris bought Watertight with assistance from an investor, and I was asked to come in and evaluate the business. I could see echoes of what we’d done at Energystore - using a network of local accredited installers to deliver national schemes - and I believed we could create something similar in the flood sector but with potential to be much bigger.
Chris moved on around 2016 and I took over the day to day running of the business. At the time it was lean; just a small office and installation capability, but having secured a position on the original Environment Agency PFR framework I was confident that with the right people and systems, we could build something scalable.
Since 2019, things have really accelerated. We’ve won major contracts, built up a 40 plus person team across Bangor and Runcorn and become the UK’s number one PFR provider. I’ve brought in a brilliant senior leadership team, people I’ve worked with and trust, and we’re building sustainable structures and systems for long-term, scalable growth, all based on lessons learned and experiences from other industry sectors.”
What makes Watertight different – what is ‘the Watertight Way’?
“Our relationship and customer focussed, national, end-to-end service takes account of the person, the property and the flood risk with a solution designed and delivered within the scope of the industry Code of Practice.
Fundamentally, we are very proud of our reputation for adhering to industry best practice and always act impartially, without favouring any particular supplier of equipment, materials or services. Our USP is that we don’t manufacture products but provide an extensive range of resistance and recoverability solutions from partnering manufacturers and suppliers, fitted by our own installation teams or specialist sub-contractors.
We’re also proud founding members of the International Property Flood Resilience Association (IPFRA), which launched this year to help raise standards and shape best practice across the PFR sector.”
What flood risks are we facing – and how is Watertight responding?
“Flooding is no longer a distant or occasional risk, it’s a growing, year-round threat. Across the UK and globally, we’re seeing more frequent and intense rainfall, increasingly overwhelming infrastructure. In England there are now 6.3m properties (domestic and commercial) at risk of flooding and by mid-century it will be 1 in 4 properties.
This is the challenge Watertight was built for – adapting the present for a resilient future
We work with organisations, local authorities, communities and private homeowners to help manage that risk through practical, property-level flood resilience (PFR). We’re exploring new technologies, expanding internationally (just opened an office in Melbourne, Australia), and work collaboratively with brilliant partners.
As an Environment Agency PFR Framework provider, we’re delivering flood protection projects up and down the country, as well as through our work with Flood Re, where we’re supporting the delivery of Build Back Better contracts, not to mention relationships with local authorities, insurers and the Department for Education.
We know that flooding will never be entirely preventable, but with the right investment in the right solutions - adapted to the person, the property and the flood risk - we can help to reduce its impact and ultimately build a more resilient future for all.
We have also invested heavily in innovation and have developed the Resilico digital platform to deal with preparedness (access to flood alerts, creating bespoke flood plans and allowing maintenance to be managed). This is to complement the physical resistance and recoverability measures to complete the suite of property flood resilience.
Watertight is ready.”
A Quickfire Q&A
Gareth, what keeps you going?
“Building an amazing team to allow us to grow by 25–30% year-on-year. The opportunity is huge - and we’re just getting started.”
Current read?
“When I get the chance, I enjoy crime novels. A big fan of James Patterson.
Ultimate dinner party guests?
“I would say Roy Keane, and not just because I’m a United fan, but I admire his no-nonsense honesty. Professor Brian Cox as I’m fascinated by people who understand the universe and things far beyond my comprehension! The third would be a comedian - Billy Connolly or Ricky Gervais; someone who’ll keep it entertaining.”
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
“Don’t stress. Get your qualifications, keep your options open and don’t be afraid to take a risk. Try something. You’ll learn more from doing than waiting for the perfect plan.”
