Executive Team

Paul was appointed as Managing Director of the National Nuclear Laboratory on 1 January 2011. He has run large groups and extensive portfolios in both academic and business environments and engaged with senior stakeholders across Government, academia and industry. He has a strong knowledge of the research affairs of national and international nuclear organisations.

Paul began his career working on the European Fusion Programme where he completed his PhD, he subsequently worked in Japan on technology transfer in the semiconductor industry and also the Japanese nuclear programme. He worked for BNFL at numerous locations in the UK and roles covering technology commercialisation, plant support and policy development, culminating in support to the UK Government on the case for new nuclear build. Paul also co-founded the Dalton Nuclear Institute and worked for the US organisation Battelle alongside US National Laboratories on M&O contract development. In 2009 he was part of the M&O team that was awarded the contract to run NNL.

Currently Paul is also a Non-Executive Director at the National Physical Laboratory and Chair of the Association of Innovation, Research and Technology Organisations (AIRTO). He was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineers in 2014.

Matt joined NNL in June 2018 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in April 2019. He joined the business from BAE Systems where he had spent the previous 16 years in a wide variety of roles, most latterly as Finance Director for the Dreadnought Submarine Programme. 

Matt worked across multiple businesses within BAE Systems where he developed a deep understanding of Financial Management, Corporate Governance and Information Management and Technology. 

Matt is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and sits as a member of the CIMA Benevolent Fund. Outside work, he is a qualified Rugby League Coach with Chorley Panthers.

Clare joined us as HR Director and NNL Board member in June 2018 from BAE Systems, where she spent the past ten years driving the people agenda for the Combat Air division. Clare led the HR team, which consisted of 23 HR professionals across UK, Middle East and Europe. As member of the Board of Combat Air, Clare was accountable for strategy, financial performance, governance, Customer and Employee relations. Prior to BAE Systems, Clare was Head of HR at Royal Mail and British Airways.

Clare brings with her a wealth of experience in developing high performing teams, with a focus on continued learning and development.

Clare is passionate about people and contributing to Organisational Strategy and will lead on the development of our people strategy. Clare has joined us at a hugely exciting point in our history and is looking forward to helping us develop the culture and people plan to ensure we achieve our strategic goals and deliver our change plan.

David was appointed as NNL’s first ever Chief Customer Officer (CCO) in November 2016, and as such he is responsible for full end-to-end delivery of NNL’s operations whilst ensuring that delivering value to our customers is at the heart of the organisation.

David is both a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has a proven track record of improving team performance and delivering challenging projects for customers. His nuclear experience includes working on major projects at Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, Wylfa, Sellafield, Drigg, Devonport and Barrow. He also has extensive international experience ranging from Cuba to India and Taiwan to Romania.

Professor Andrew Sherry was previously NNL’s Chief Scientist but took up a new role in July 2020 as a Special Advisor. He joined NNL from The University of Manchester where he was Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2012. He has over 30 years' experience in the nuclear sector, leading programmes on science and innovation within both industry and academia.

His Special Advisor role sees Andrew focus on influencing the national nuclear agenda, including nuclear skills and the innovation in technology, culture and practice needed to ensure nuclear power plays its role in delivering net zero and restarting the economy.

Andrew is a member of the UK Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board and provides independent advice on strategic, technical and safety aspects of nuclear power to government, industry and international nuclear bodies including CEA, INL and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Nuclear Institute and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

James joined NNL in September 2017 as Chief Strategy Officer. He leads the newly-formed Strategy, Science and Innovation (SSI) Directorate. This multidisciplinary team is made up of strategy, market insight, communications, innovation and S&T professionals and is charged with defining, shaping and supporting the execution of NNL’s strategy. James brings a breadth of experience across a number of industry sectors, including management consulting, defence, public affairs and the media.

Prior to NNL, James worked in Deloitte’s strategy practice – Monitor Deloitte – leading engagements with clients in the defence and security sectors. He worked with a range of Boards and senior management teams in the public and private sector, focusing on bringing digital innovation to complex operational environments, transforming corporate capabilities to deliver enhanced business performance and driving growth through internationalisation and diversification strategies.

Before joining Deloitte, James was a director at techUK, the trade association representing the UK’s technology companies. This followed a number of years at BAE Systems, where his work focused on strategy and international business development, including postings to Saudi Arabia, Washington DC and India. James started his career in the media, firstly in publishing and then as a journalist, working in both local and national news before specialising in foreign affairs.

Fiona Rayment NNL's Chief Science and Technology Officer, a role she took up on 1st July 2020. She has more than 25 years of nuclear industry experience working primarily within operations and strategic planning roles across a number of different nuclear sites, both in the UK and internationally.

Fiona is a chartered chemist and engineer with a PhD in chemistry from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the UK Nuclear Institute. She has an MBA from Manchester Business School. Fiona recently received an OBE in the 2017 Queen's birthday honours for her services to Nuclear innovation and research.

Fiona's other roles across the sector include being on the board of the UK Nuclear Institute, and the American Nuclear Society. She is a member of the Office of Nuclear Regulation Independent Advisory Panel and Idaho National Laboratory's Nuclear Science and Technology Advisory Committee.

Additionally, Fiona is the chair of the UK’s Nuclear Skills Strategy Group, the strategic body that oversees UK nuclear sector skills requirements, vice - chair of the Steering Committee of the Nuclear Energy Agency and a member of Euratom’s Science and Technology Committee.