Appointment of Chair to the Office for Nuclear Regulation
Nick Baldwin appointed as the Chair of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
The Minister of State for Disabled People, Mike Penning, today (29 October 2013) announced that Nick Baldwin has been successful in a competition to be appointed as the Chair of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
Nick has been Chair of the interim ONR since April 2011. Subject to the successful passage through parliament of legislation, the interim ONR will become a statutory body in 2014 and Nick will be ONR’s first statutory Chair.
Mike Penning welcomed the appointment saying:
ONR has a vital role to play in holding industry to account for the safe and secure operation of the UK’s civil nuclear sector, and in ensuring compliance with nuclear safeguard responsibilities across the United Kingdom. I have every confidence that Nick will successfully continue the work he has already begun to strengthen ONR’s role as a modern, independent statutory regulator that is equipped to meet the challenges of a changing nuclear industry.
Nick Baldwin said:
I am pleased to be appointed as the first statutory Chair of the ONR board. I look forward to leading the board towards vesting and through the first 5 years as a public corporation, building on the strong foundations we have put in place whilst an agency of the Health and Safety Executive.
Baroness Verma, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said:
The Office for Nuclear Regulation plays a vital role in maintaining high standards of safety and security in the UK. Nick has been instrumental in helping to shape the future direction of ONR as an independent statutory nuclear regulator, and I am delighted that he has accepted the role as ONR Chair.
More information
Nick Baldwin’s appointment will take effect from the date that ONR is created as a statutory body and will run for a term of 5 years. His appointment will be on an 8 days per month basis, with additional hours as required. The appointment has been made in full conformity with the Code of Practice of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Pending the successful passage of legislation, Nick will remain as chair of the interim ONR.
Biography
Nick Baldwin is currently Chair of the interim ONR, an Agency of the Health and Safety Executive. He was until 2011 a non-executive director of Scottish and Southern Energy and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. He is also the Chair of Sanctuary Housing Group and the Chair of Ambitious About Autism. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a Member of the Institute of Energy. Nick was previously chief executive of Powergen until July 2002, having joined the firm in 1989 and having held a series of board-level and senior management positions.
Nick is not engaged in any political activity.
Office for Nuclear Regulation
ONR is the national safety and security regulator for the civil nuclear industry in the UK. Its mission is to provide efficient and effective regulation of the nuclear industry, holding it to account on behalf of the public.
ONR is currently an agency of the Health and Safety Executive. Subject to the successful passage through Parliament of the Energy Bill, ONR is expected to vest formally and to take on its full range of functions in spring 2014. ONR is accountable to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and also provides assurance on the safety and security of the civil nuclear sector to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
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