The Board

Ian Funnell became Chair of NNL on 26 January 2022 for an initial term of three years. He is also Chief Executive Officer for Hitachi Energy UK Limited, for the UK and Ireland businesses. He spent nearly two decades at ABB in a number of different roles, including five years as Chief Executive Officer of ABB UK Ltd.

In addition to his role at Hitachi Energy UK Limited, Ian is also a mentor for the global high potential female talent programme and an Ambassador for the Women's Leadership Association – indicators of his demonstrably strong commitment to sponsoring diversity and inclusion.

He has extensive experience in a non-executive capacity, and is currently Chair, CBI North West Region; Commissioner, Covid Recovery Commission; Board Member, Energy Revolution Advisory Group, Innovate UK; and Board Member, Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College.

He is a Chartered Engineer, and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

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.

Professor Stephen Garwood joined the NNL Board in May 2020, having been Professor of Structural Integrity at Imperial College London and serving as a non executive Director of the Transport Systems Catapult. Prior to those roles, Steve was Director, Research & Innovation - Nuclear, at Rolls-Royce plc, retiring in 2013. Over the previous 15 years, he held various Engineering and Technology Director roles for Rolls-Royce plc, including Head of the Technical Authority for the Nuclear Submarine plant.

After a PhD in Applied Mechanics, Steve started his career with The Welding Institute in 1976, rising to Head of Engineering, before joining Rolls-Royce and Associates in 1996. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2002.

In addition to his non-executive director role, Steve chairs NNL’s Technical Advisory Board. He continues to serve as an Independent on a number of Nuclear Advisory Boards and is an honorary Professor at Imperial College London.

Iain joined the NNL Board in October 2019, having previously served as Chief Financial Officer of WYG plc, an international consulting, engineering and project management business. Prior to that role, Iain was Finance Director for Amec Foster Wheeler’s Clean Energy business, and before that he held various Finance Director positions in Westinghouse Electric Company, a global nuclear technology provider, including two periods spent working in the United States.

Iain started his career with Coopers & Lybrand where he qualified as an ACA before moving into Corporate Finance to work on Mergers & Acquisitions. He moved across into industry in 1996 and now has over 20 years’ financial leadership experience in international consulting and engineering businesses and has a particular specialism in the international energy sector.

In addition to his non-executive director role, Iain chairs the NNL Board’s Audit Committee.

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.

Claire Flint was appointed to the NNL Board in April 2017, having previously served as an associate non-executive director from 2014-16, under the Government’s “Women on Board” scheme.

In her executive career, Claire was most recently Group Human Resources and Brand Director for Oxford Instruments plc, a leading international, nanotechnology tools provider, serving on their Management Board for over 10 years.

Claire now pursues a plural career comprising Non-Executive Directorships and leadership consulting. Claire has a BA in history from London University and a post graduate diploma in labour studies.

Edward joined UK Government Investments in 2015, and has worked on both corporate finance and corporate governance projects.

Prior to joining UKGI, Edward worked as a lawyer. He trained with the Scottish Government before moving into private practice first in Scotland and then the City, specializing in project and asset finance. Edward combined work and study to complete a Masters in global energy and climate policy, and further augmented his sectoral experience with secondments to Network Rail, ING and UK Export Finance.

Edward has also completed a two year secondment with the Cabinet Office, where he first led on business, energy and environmental policy coordination in the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, working closely with HM Treasury and No.10. Edward then led a team preparing for the UK's exit from the EU, before being asked to help establish and lead a team within the COVID Taskforce.

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.