New Chair of the Met Office appointed
The government has today (4 June) announced Rob Woodward as the new Chair of the Met Office.
Rob Woodward has been selected to take up the role, starting on 1 July, taking over from the interim Chair, Sir John Beddington, who will remain on the Board. As Chair, Rob Woodward will work with the Met Office board and executive team to ensure the organisation continues to offer global leadership in the fields of weather and climate science.
Rob Woodward is currently Chair of Court of Glasgow Caledonian University following on from being Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council of City at the University of London between 2012 and 2018. He is also Chair of technology company Blancco plc and marketing services company Ebiquity plc.
Chair of the Met Office, Rob Woodward said:
I’ve long admired the work of the Met Office and the impact it has on so many people from all walks of life. It is a privilege to be selected to be the next Chair of this world-class organisation. I look forward to working with the Executive team and staff to help the Met Office build on its successes whilst continuing to transform to face the challenges of the future.
Rob Woodward has both private and public sector expertise which he will bring to the role. He is a former CEO of STV Group, and prior to this was commercial director of Channel 4 Television and a trustee of NESTA, the UK’s leading innovation charity.
Mr Woodward was previously a managing director of UBS Warburg and global chief operating officer of corporate finance in Media and Communications. He was also a managing partner of Braxton UK, Deloitte’s European telecoms, media and technology business and UK strategy consulting practice.
The other non-executive directors are:
- Sir John Beddington
- Dame Mary Keegan
- Dr David Burridge
- Catherine Quinn
- Robert Drummond
- John Kimmance
The Met Office is the UK’s National Meteorological Service and home to the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services - consistently rated amongst the top climate research institutes in the world. Through its weather and climate services it is expected to make a £30 billion contribution to the UK economy over this decade, protecting lives and supporting productivity and growth across the country.