Press release

Leadership Transition at Great British Energy – Nuclear

Great British Energy - Nuclear Leadership Update

Gwen Parry-Jones, CEO of Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N), will be stepping down from her role on 30th September as planned. As one of the founding members of GBE-N, Gwen has played a pivotal role in leading the organisation from its inception as a start-up to its current state as a permanent entity. Under her leadership, GBE-N has successfully purchased sites, completed a technology selection process and secured government funding to start the UK’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) fleet. 

Gwen joined GBE-N on secondment from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and her time here has exemplified the value of cross-organisational collaboration and knowledge sharing within the nuclear industry. She will return to the NDA on 1st October.

GBE-N Chair Simon Bowen said:

Gwen’s strength of leadership has been instrumental in the setup of our organisation. From the very beginning, she brought vision, energy, and deep nuclear expertise to GBE-N, helping shape it into the organisation it is today. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and impact to both GBE-N and the Industry in laying the foundations for the UK’s SMR future.

The announcement of a new CEO for GBE-N will be made in due course.  In the interim, GBE-N Chief Finance Officer, Neil Cooper will be the Accounting Officer and will chair the Executive Committee to ensure continuity and support for all teams. A small subset of the Executive Team will also form an Interim Steering Group, focused on project delivery and reporting directly to the GBE-N Chair, Simon Bowen.

For more information, please contact:

Cory Reynolds, Director of Communications and Government Relations

cory.reynolds@greatbritishnuclear.uk  m: 07763 096952

Ieuan Williams, Head of Communications

ieuan.williams@greatbritishnuclear.uk  m: 07763 096880

Updates to this page

Published 18 September 2025