Executive Team

Paul was appointed as Managing Director of the National Nuclear Laboratory on 1 January 2011. He has run large groups and extensive portfolios in both academic and business environments and engaged with senior stakeholders across Government, academia and industry. He has a strong knowledge of the research affairs of national and international nuclear organisations.

Paul began his career working on the European Fusion Programme where he completed his PhD, he subsequently worked in Japan on technology transfer in the semiconductor industry and also the Japanese nuclear programme. He worked for BNFL at numerous locations in the UK and roles covering technology commercialisation, plant support and policy development, culminating in support to the UK Government on the case for new nuclear build. Paul also co-founded the Dalton Nuclear Institute and worked for the US organisation Battelle alongside US National Laboratories on M&O contract development. In 2009 he was part of the M&O team that was awarded the contract to run NNL.

Currently Paul is also Chair of the Association of Innovation, Research and Technology Organisations (AIRTO). He was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineers in 2014.

Matt joined NNL in June 2018 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in April 2019. He joined the business from BAE Systems where he had spent the previous 16 years in a wide variety of roles, most latterly as Finance Director for the Dreadnought Submarine Programme. 

Matt worked across multiple businesses within BAE Systems where he developed a deep understanding of Financial Management, Corporate Governance and Information Management and Technology. 

Matt is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and sits as a member of the CIMA Benevolent Fund. Outside work, he is a qualified Rugby League Coach with Chorley Panthers.

Clare joined us as HR Director and NNL Board member in June 2018 from BAE Systems, where she spent the past ten years driving the people agenda for the Combat Air division. Clare led the HR team, which consisted of 23 HR professionals across UK, Middle East and Europe. As member of the Board of Combat Air, Clare was accountable for strategy, financial performance, governance, Customer and Employee relations. Prior to BAE Systems, Clare was Head of HR at Royal Mail and British Airways.

Clare brings with her a wealth of experience in developing high performing teams, with a focus on continued learning and development.

Clare is passionate about people and contributing to Organisational Strategy and will lead on the development of our people strategy. Clare has joined us at a hugely exciting point in our history and is looking forward to helping us develop the culture and people plan to ensure we achieve our strategic goals and deliver our change plan.

David was appointed as NNL’s first ever Chief Customer Officer (CCO) in November 2016, and as such he is responsible for full end-to-end delivery of NNL’s operations whilst ensuring that delivering value to our customers is at the heart of the organisation.

David is both a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has a proven track record of improving team performance and delivering challenging projects for customers. His nuclear experience includes working on major projects at Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, Wylfa, Sellafield, Drigg, Devonport and Barrow. He also has extensive international experience ranging from Cuba to India and Taiwan to Romania.

James has been NNL's Chief Strategy Officer since 2017. He leads the Strategy, Science and Innovation (SSI) directorate within NNL. SSI is a multi-
disciplinary team of strategy, science and technology and communication specialists. SSI is responsible for defining and delivering how NNL fully realises its purpose of using ‘nuclear science to benefit society’ across four key focus areas:

• Clean energy
• Environmental restoration
• Nuclear medicine
• Security and Non-Proliferation.

James works closely with government stakeholders, industry leaders
and academic experts to determine how nuclear science can address some of the major challenges faced by society and implementing strategies for NNL to play its fullest role.

Prior to NNL, James worked in Deloitte’s strategy practice – Monitor Deloitte – leading engagements in the defence, security and policing sectors. His work centred on delivering complex strategy projects for clients in the public and private sector, focusing on business growth, corporate
development and innovation.

Before joining Deloitte, he led the Defence, Cyber and Emergency Services teams at techUK, the trade association representing the UK’s technology companies. This followed a number of years at BAE Systems where his work focused on strategy and international growth, including postings to
Saudi Arabia, Washington D.C. and India.

James started his career in the media, firstly in publishing and then as a journalist, working in both local and national news before specialising in international and security affairs.

Fiona Rayment NNL's Chief Science and Technology Officer. She has more than 25 years of nuclear industry experience working primarily within operations and strategic planning roles across a number of different nuclear sites, both in the UK and internationally.

She is a chartered chemist and engineer with a PhD in chemistry from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the UK Nuclear Institute. Fiona also has an MBA from Manchester Business School.

Fiona recently served as a member of Euratom’s Science and Technology Committee, the Idaho National Laboratory's Nuclear Science and Technology Advisory Committee, the American Nuclear Society Board and is immediate past chair of the UK’s Nuclear Skills Strategy Group. Her other roles across the sector include being on the board of the UK Nuclear Institute, a member of the Nuclear Industry Council and a member of the Office of Nuclear Regulation Chief Nuclear Inspector’s Independent Advisory Panel.

She regularly represents the UK at a number of international meetings, and provides keynote / plenary speeches at a variety of international nuclear conferences and is a current vice chair of the OECD NEA’s Steering Committee and Bureau. Fiona was awarded an OBE in 2017 and the French Légion d’Honneur in 2020.