Innes trained as a civil engineer and has spent the majority of his career working with water across the various sectors of the Industry. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and took up his most recent post of Chief Executive with the Association of Drainage Authorities in April 2015. Prior to that, he was an Area Flood & Coastal Risk Manager at the Environment Agency in both Nottingham and York. He has also spent a significant proportion of his career working with water outside the UK, notably in France, the Middle East, Far East and the Indian subcontinent during the 1990’s.