Adrian Montague

Sir Adrian Montague
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Trinity Hall, Cambridge (MA)
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, corporate executive
Years active	1971–present
Known for	Chairman of Thames Water (2023–present); Chairman of Aviva (2015–2020)

Sir Adrian Alastair Montague (born February 1948) is a British lawyer and corporate executive. Since July 2023, he has held the position of chairman at Thames Water, and previously served as chairman of the insurance firm Aviva from April 2015 until May 2020.

Early life

Born in February 1948, Montague obtained a Master of Arts degree from Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

Career

Montague's professional journey began at the law firm Linklaters & Paines, where he worked as a solicitor from 1971 to 1994. He then transitioned to the investment banking sector with Dresdner Kleinwort between 1994 and 1997. Moving into the public sector, he was appointed chief executive of the Private Finance Initiative Task Force at HM Treasury from 1997 to 2000, followed by a role as deputy chairman of Partnerships UK from 2000 to 2001.

From 2002 to 2009, Montague served as chairman of British Energy. While leading Friends Provident in 2008, he rejected a takeover offer of £1.50 per share made by private equity firm J.C. Flowers. However, the company was acquired a year later by Resolution at a lower price of £0.79 per share.

In April 2015, Montague took over as chairman of Aviva, succeeding John McFarlane, and remained in this role until May 2020.

Amid concerns regarding the financial health of Thames Water, Montague was appointed chair of Thames Water and its parent company Kemble Water in June 2023. He stepped down from his chairmanship at Kemble Water in February 2024 but continued to lead Thames Water.

In May 2025, Montague appeared before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, where he stated that Thames Water's creditors had 'insisted' on retention bonuses for senior executives. He later admitted that he "may have misspoken" about creditor demands concerning these bonuses. Subsequently, Montague clarified in a letter that retention bonuses were funded through a £3 billion emergency loan provided by lenders to support Thames Water’s financial stability and avert collapse.

Personal life

Montague has been married three times. His first marriage to Pamela Evans (1970–1982) resulted in one son and two daughters. In 1986, he wed Penelope Webb, with whom he had a son; their marriage ended in divorce in 2009. He married Innes Daubeney in 2015.