The NI was delighted to confirm at its recent Board of Trustees meeting that Gwen Parry-Jones OBE of Horizon Nuclear Power would be invited to join the Board as a trustee and its next Vice President. This means that Gwen would become the next President of the Nuclear Institute when John Clarke’s term finishes at the end of 2019.
Gwen would become the first female President of the Nuclear Institute which is particularly fitting at a time when the industry is challenged to recruit more female staff over the next 12 years as part of the Government’s Nuclear Sector Deal targets.
Biography
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Gwen is a highly experienced director and nuclear operations professional, with outstanding leadership, communication, engagement and influencing skills, with experience at a senior level in project development and delivery, governance, safety, security and nuclear oversight and assurance.
Gwen has led teams and projects in Magnox, Advanced Gas Reactor, Candu, Pressurised Water Reactor and Advance Boiling Water Reactor technologies.
She has worked extensively with senior level technical, scientific, professional, government, local community, unions and regulatory bodies. Gwen has both UK and international experience across the energy generation sector, including in nuclear, conventional, renewables and storage technologies.
Gwen is the only woman in the UK to have held the post of Station Director at a UK civil nuclear facility and was awarded the honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for her lifetime’s work in services to Science and Technology.
She has a BSc Hons in Physics from the University of Manchester and an MA in Banking and Finance from the European Business Academy, University College of North Wales. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and an Associate of the Nuclear Institute.
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President John Clarke commented:
“Having had an illustrious career so far in the industry Gwen is an ideal candidate for this role and her approval was unanimous amongst the NI’s trustees and having known Gwen for many years I am personally delighted to be working with her.”
Gwen Parry-Jones commented:
"I am delighted to have been appointed to this position at the Nuclear Institute, a UK organisation that I have greatly respected over the years. It is a privilege to be working for the membership connected with the nuclear industry.
In my view, it is crucial we ensure the industry has the talent it needs to meet the growth we see in new build and in decommissioning, as well as supporting the needs of the current UK nuclear generation fleet.
I feel particularly passionate about the need to recruit and retain women in the nuclear industry and to promote wider diversity at the heart of our work. I very much look forward to taking up the position of Vice President and supporting the ongoing needs of the sector."
NI CEO Sarah Beacock commented:
“I’m excited at the prospect of working with Gwen and to have her join what is already a strongly female board. This will be an enormous boost to the profile of women in the industry and will certainly help the NI in supporting women towards achieving professional recognition.”
Notes to editors
Nuclear Institute
The NI is a professional membership body of over 2,500 industry professionals and over 50 companies engaged in nuclear. It is licensed by the Engineering and Science Councils and most recently the Society for the Environment to award Chartered titles and awards its own professional grades of Member and Fellow based on the Nuclear Delta®.
The NI provides a range of membership services including a professional journal, Nuclear Future, and a variety of CPD opportunities including an established events programme and strong networks of branches, special interest groups and active sections for young members (YGN) and women (WiN).
For further details please contact:
Sarah Beacock, NI CEO – s.beacock@nuclearinst.com
Phillippa Burgess, Horizon Nuclear Power - Phillippa.Burgess@Horizonnuclearpower.com
Ben Russell, Horizon Nuclear Power - Ben.Russell@Horizonnuclearpower.com