Peter Hill CBE appointed as new Chair of the NDA

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has today announced that Peter Hill CBE has been appointed as Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Chair.

He succeeds Chris Train OBE who has been Interim Chair since September 2023. Chris will continue in his role as a Non-Executive Director on the NDA Board.

Peter has wide experience in executive, non-executive and chair roles across a number of FTSE listed companies and in government.

Minister for Nuclear and Renewables, Andrew Bowie, said:

Nuclear decommissioning and waste management are a vital part of the lifecycle of nuclear power generation and will be critical for our ambition to quadruple our nuclear capacity to 24GW by 2050.

Peter Hill brings a wealth of experience to the role, and I am confident he will enable the organisation to safely deliver its nationally important mission.

Peter Hill CBE said:

I am very honoured to be appointed as NDA Chair. My career started at one of the world’s largest uranium mines, so I feel I have come full circle.

I’ve had a 40-year career as an engineer and executive in the UK and internationally, across the natural resources, construction, infrastructure, manufacturing and chemicals sectors, many of which have critical safety and long-term environmental and remediation requirements.

I look forward to bringing my experience in industry, including chairing and serving on numerous Boards, to working with the NDA, together with stakeholders, the management team and Board members across the group, in delivering its mission.

I am acutely aware of the importance, criticality and complexity of the work of the NDA. It has unrivalled expertise together with outstanding and highly qualified people. We will work together to deliver a lasting legacy within our communities and the UK as a whole.

David Peattie, NDA Chief Executive Officer, said:

It’s a privilege to welcome Peter to the NDA and I look forward to working together to deliver our mission. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role which I am sure will prove to be invaluable.

I would also like to thank Chris Train OBE for taking on the role of interim Chair. Though his time in the role was relatively short he’s provided great leadership and will continue to play an important role as a valued member of the Board.

Peter is currently chair of Keller Group plc, the world’s largest geotechnical projects engineer and has also previously been Chair and a non-executive director on the Boards of a number of organisations spanning the manufacturing, research, aerospace and defence and chemicals industries amongst others.

In government, Peter has been a non-executive board member of UK Trade and Investment, the Royal Air Force and an agency of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Peter began his executive career with multinational mining groups Anglo American, Rio Tinto, BP Minerals and Consolidated Gold Fields. During this time, he held a variety of roles covering planning, operations, project management and corporate finance.

He subsequently held senior management positions with FTSE 100 engineering groups BTR and Invensys, and was an executive director on the Board of Costain Group plc, the then international engineering and construction company which completed major infrastructure projects worldwide.

For nine years he was the Chief Executive Officer of Laird plc, transforming it from an industrial conglomerate to a focussed international electronics company.

Peter holds a BSc in Engineering and an MBA from the London Business School, he is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

The NDA is charged on behalf of government, with the mission to safely, securely and sustainably decommission the UK’s oldest nuclear sites, leaving them ready for their next use.

It’s one of the largest nuclear decommissioning and remediation programmes in Europe, delivered with care for people, communities and the environment.

Peter was appointed following a fair, open and transparent selection process. His term begins formally on 1 June 2024.