Steve Buck, the chief financial officer of Thames Water, has received a £1m signing-on bonusThames Water risks a renewed backlash from ministers after paying a top executive a £1m bonus. Steve Buck, the chief financial officer of Thames Water, received the sum last month as part of a signing-on deal, despite the business facing collapse because of its overwhelming debt pile. Special measures imposed by Ofwat, the industry regulator, ban Thames from paying performance-related bonuses to its chief executive and chief financial officer. Chris Weston, the utility's chief executive, is prevented from receiving a bonus. Thames is under pressure over executive bonuses as its creditors push through a last-ditch attempt to avoid nationalisation.