Workshop leads
Conference Speakers – Session 1
ADRIÈNNE KELBIE
Chief Executive,
Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)
Adriènne Kelbie is ONR’s Chief Executive – the first female executive director and only female CE in ONR’s history. Her supportive and straightforward approach to leading ONR has brought stability and clarity of direction to the nuclear safety regulator, as it modernises its ways of working while maintaining the highest regulatory standards. She has worked in the private, voluntary and public sectors, with twenty years at Board level, where she has driven improved diversity, customer focus, transparency, organisational development, and both staff and stakeholder engagement.
Adriènne is known as an inclusive, transformational leader who believes that the best teams are diverse teams and is greatly interested in developing her people and learning from them. She is a highly visible champion, mentor, and role model for inclusion, working across multiple networks and organisations to drive better diversity and balance in the industry.
In recognition of her promotion of public safety through diversity, she was awarded the rare distinction of Honorary Fellow of the Nuclear Institute in 2017. She is Northern Power Women’s Transformational Leader for 2019 and was also Patron of Women in Nuclear UK from 2016-2019. In 2020, she also became a Fellow of the Energy Institute.
Adriènne is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, a Companion Member of the Chartered Management Institute, and a graduate of Oxford University’s Major Programme Leadership Academy, reflecting her interest in developing leadership by example.
MARCIA ORE
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Partner, UKAEA
Marcia started her current role as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Partner at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire in July 2019.Her personal mission and passion for equality, diversity and inclusion began when she became a Police Officer in West Midlands Police in 1982 prompted by the Scarman Report followed incidents of public disorder. One of Lord Scarman’s recommendations was the recruiting of officers from the Black community to be reflective of the communities police forces served.
Whilst serving Marcia held numerous operational and non-operational roles. For example, Ethnic Minority Recruitment Officer and became the first Black female Police Trainer, and then became one of a handful of Black women Sergeants when she was promoted in 2001. She went on to be actively involved in the formation of Black Police Associations, was Vice Chair of West Midlands Black and Asian Police Association, executive member of the National Black Police Association, including chair of the Gender & Sexual Orientation sub-committee, executive member of the British Association of Women in Policing, Women Sgts Police Federation Representative, member of the Association of Chief Police Officers Working Party exploring the career development of women and ethnic minority police officers and police staff.
Marcia transferred to West Mercia Police in 2003 and was the only Black Female Sergeant in the service at that time, retiring in 2012 having completed 30 years service. Since retiring she has worked for a number of organisations including The Prince’s Trust, Catch22 and the Royal Navy.
In addition to her fulltime role Marcia is a School Governor and was one of a number of signatories, which included the Runnymede Trust, as part of the Parents on Board (a network of BE governors and educational board members) raising concerns regarding the impact of implementing predicated grades due to the cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A levels on disadvantaged social and ethnic groups.
She holds several qualifications which include two Master’s degree in Coaching & Mentoring and Education, Management and Leadership.
DR REBECCA WESTON
Chief Operating Officer, Sellafield Ltd
As the Chief Operating Officer for Sellafield Ltd, Rebecca is responsible for the overall programme delivery and performance of the operations at Sellafield, one of the world’s most complex nuclear and industrial sites. Her span includes all aspects of retrieval and legacy clean-up, spent fuel and special nuclear material management, as well as nuclear waste management, decommissioning and remediation.
Rebecca has experience across large and small manufacturing organisations and has held senior leadership positions across Programme and Project Delivery, Operations and Commercial, as well as Technical and R&D.
Rebecca, a PhD qualified Chartered Physicist and Engineer, has an Executive MBA and holds non-executive and volunteer roles, across a range of organisations that drive economic development and learning, including the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.
ELLEN WILDIG
Growth and Project Manager, Jacobs
Ellen joined Jacobs as a graduate 4 years ago and has since worked in both sides of the business in technical and project based roles. Her Earth Science degree lead her to a graduate scheme in Geographic Information Systems, but on its completion, she moved to the nuclear side of the business and undertook a role in growth and strategy.
Within the company Ellen is part of many networks, including Jacobs Careers Network, Positive Mental Health Champions and the Collectively Ambassadors, one of Jacobs’ newer networks dedicated to making a difference in the community.
CORHYN PARR
Director of UK Waste Operations, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Corhyn Parr is Director of UK Waste Operations at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a role that provides oversight of Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) and Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) and includes creating a national integrated waste programme to improve how waste is retrieved, treated, transported, stored and to reduce the cost of waste management across the NDA estate.
A perpetual advocate and supporter of the nuclear industry through the Nuclear Institute, she has chaired the Young Generation Network, been a Board Member of the Nuclear Institute and Technical Editor of the Nuclear Future Journal. She has also served as Chair of the Nuclear Power Committee of the IMechE.
Corhyn is the current Chair of the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group (NSSG) and a Non-Executive Director at Cogent Skills.
Lisa Stanger
Principal Consultant, Thomas Thor Associates
Lisa has worked within the nuclear industry for more than a decade and has a real interest in helping to diversify the narrative around the skills and expertise that the sector attracts.
Lisa’s early career within customer services serves as a foundation to her experience and her work as a freelancer, supporting individuals within their careers and companies with their prospective people; has helped shape her interest in inclusivity, not just within the nuclear sector, but throughout industry as a whole.
DR DES WRIGHT
Nuclear Authority, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)
Dr Des Wright is the Nuclear Authority for NNL, a role that is a specialist advisor to the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that all nuclear operations within NNL remain compliant to regulatory and legislative requirements through Independent Oversight and support.
He has more than 20 years’ experience of nuclear industry experience and has a proven track record in a range of senior operational, business and technical roles that include leading the operation of NNL nuclear facilities at Sellafield and significant business and Capability departments.
Des is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry with a PhD in chemistry from University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
PATRICK HERBERT
Nuclear Engineer, Nucleargraduates
Patrick Herbert has been striving to work in the nuclear industry for years since learning about the potential of nuclear fusion, at the age of 14. Since then all the education choices he has made, were geared towards entering the industry. He studied Nuclear Engineering and then Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors at the University of Birmingham.
Since then Patrick has done many work placements within the nuclear industry:
- Neutronics coding at the Joint European Torus;
- Radiation Shielding and research into reducing source term, both at Rolls-Royce;
- Created a comparison course of Sizewell B, the EPR and HPR 1000 for EDF Energy;
- Looked at the lifing of ageing AGRs for EDF’s Asset Management team;
- Assisted with Criticality, Shielding and Assay assessments at Magnox.
The nuclear industry has given Patrick so much in a short amount of time and he Iooks forward to continuing his journey within it.
ANDREW STEER
Lead Safety Case Project Correspondent
General Nuclear System Limited
Andrew Steer is the Lead Safety Case Project Correspondent for General Nuclear System Limited who represent the requesting parties of: CGN (China General Nuclear), EDF SA, and GNI (General Nuclear International) for the UK HPR1000 GDA project that is intended to lead onto the Bradwell B project.
His main role is leading the regulatory interactions for the UK HPR1000 Safety Case on behalf of the Requesting Parties as well as leading a team of Project Correspondents based in London.
Andrew has over 13 years’ experience in the nuclear industry having delivered safety cases at a variety of UK nuclear sites and for a previous GDA project.
Andrew holds a PhD in Nuclear Physics and worked as a safety case consultant for over 10 years prior to joining General Nuclear System in January 2018.
Conference Speakers – Session 2
FRANK DOUGLAS
Non-Executive Director, City & Guilds Group and
CEO, Caerus Executive
Frank Douglas was the Executive Vice President, Group Human Resources Director for Misys, a global technology company. He worked for a CEO who was considered one of the top 10 international technology turnaround executives. He was part of the executive team that took the business private. Prior to that role, he was the Group HR Director for Transport for London/TfL. Frank has also served as the Executive Vice President, Group Human Resources Director and Pension Trustee, for Scottish and Newcastle Plc (S&N).
Frank was born in the US and raised in New York City. He came to the UK in 1998 working for British Telecom as Head of HR Strategy. In addition, he held senior roles at Royal Dutch Shell. Frank has lived and/or worked in Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and England. During September 2019 Frank was inducted into the HR Magazine Hall of Fame, for his work and his firm, Caerus, work on culture and inclusion.
In March 2019 Frank was elected to be a Non-Executive Director of the City and Guilds Group. HR Magazine noted Frank and his firm as one of the top ‘movers and shakers’ for their work in culture and inclusion.
In July 2017, Frank was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Middlesex University, for his services to the Human Resources profession and advocate for diversity.
Frank has been included in the list of the top 30 most ‘Influential HR Directors’ in the UK.
In May 2010 Frank was elected as a Non-Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD is the professional body for HR and people development. Frank was the first HR Director invited to speak to senior staff of the Royal Household (and invited guests) at Buckingham Palace. He has also spoken at Stormont in Northern Ireland, Oxford and Cornell University (in the US), as well as industry conferences. In September, 2019 he was the only non-academic speaker invited to speak at the prestigious Behavioural Insights Conference.
Frank was the first (ever) HR Manager to win the BT Chairman’s Award for championing and delivering a project that saved BT £200 million, over a three-year period. He also led the team that was short listed by Personnel Today Magazine for one of the best e-learning projects, the BT Internet College.
Frank established Caerus Executive late in 2013 to help organisations and individuals ‘turn stumbling blocks into stepping-stones.’ Caerus has been supporting organisations in the UK and emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on HR strategy, talent management and diversity. In this short period of time Caerus Executive have established themselves as one of the top consulting firms with a focus on culture and inclusion. Blue-chip clients include the BBC, Bloomberg, Channel 4, UBS, Hogan Lovells, Viacom, Freesat, ITV, SThree and Viacom, Warner Music Group to name a few. Caerus Executive includes some of the world’s biggest media and technology companies as clients in the UK, US and South Africa.
In his early days, Frank was a semi-professional trumpet player. Having attended the “Fame” School (High School of Music and Art), in NYC. He enjoys all aspects of music.
KAREN WHEELER CBE
Chief Executive Officer
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Limited
Karen Wheeler CBE joined the Board of RWM as an Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2018 before being appointed as RWM CEO from 1 February 2020.
From July 2017 to July 2019, Karen established and led, as Director General, the cross government Border Delivery Group, specifically to manage and deliver the work across government, private sector and industry, which would prepare for and ensure a functioning border, in preparation for EU exit.
Previous roles in government have included NHS England’s National Director for Transformation and Corporate Operations from 2014-17, responsible for NHSE corporate services, and for transforming NHSE into a higher performing commissioning organisation.
Between 2010 and 2014, Karen worked in the Department for Health, managing the work to implement radical NHS and Public Health reforms, and as Director General she led DH’s Informatics, Change and Operations Directorate.
Karen joined the Civil Service in 2003, to lead a number of major change and infrastructure projects in the Ministry of Justice, and then worked for a year in the Cabinet Office, launching cross government work to promote Digital services.
After graduating with a Physics degree from Durham, Karen worked for a number of years in management consultancy in the private sector, advising and helping organisations such as Guinness, British Steel, North West Water to manage and deliver major projects and programmes.
PETER WELCH
Business Services Director
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Limited
Peter is responsible for the delivery of corporate services at RWM, all of which facilitate their mission to deliver a geological disposal facility and provide radioactive waste management solutions. As such, Peter’s portfolio includes: commercial, communications, finance, human resources and legal teams.
Peter joined RWM in September 2018, bringing with him significant commercial knowledge and nuclear industry experience. Previously, Peter was with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for 11 years, most recently as the Head of Programme for Waste Management, during which time he also served as a non-executive director for International Nuclear Services. His career began in the private sector focussing on commercial finance, contracting for complex IT solutions and corporate telecommunications services.
