News story: Gwen Parry-Jones OBE announced as Magnox Chief Executive Officer

The appointment is a vital step towards Magnox Ltd becoming a subsidiary of NDA in September 2019, when Gwen will officially take up her post. Before starting work as CEO of Magnox, Gwen will be seconded into NDA to support the incoming Magnox leadership team and help lead the transition process.

David Peattie, CEO of NDA, said:

I am extremely pleased that Gwen will be joining NDA group as CEO of Magnox Ltd. Her unique blend of experience, from a diverse range of organisations, will help Magnox in its mission to decommission some of the most complex nuclear facilities in the UK.

Magnox Ltd Chair Designate, Lawrie Haynes, said:

I’m delighted to welcome Gwen to Magnox, and I look forward to working with her as we drive forward our mission to clean up the legacy from the earliest days of the UK’s nuclear industry.

Gwen brings a wealth of knowledge from across the nuclear sector, and has a proven track record of outstanding leadership and programme management – which will be vital for Magnox Ltd as it becomes a subsidiary of the NDA and for our continued success into the future.

Gwen joins Magnox following her role as Executive Director of Operations Development at Horizon Nuclear Power. Previously, Gwen was Generation Development Director and Safety and Assurance Director at EDF Energy.

Gwen Parry-Jones OBE said:

It is a privilege to have been appointed CEO of Magnox Ltd, and to lead on such an important mission to clean up our sites for future generations.

The Magnox sites have always been at the leading edge of the nuclear industry – leading the programme to decommission them is a fantastic and exciting challenge. I look forward to working with my new colleagues across NDA estate, and with Magnox’s highly skilled workforce.

Gwen started her career in 1989, as a reactor physicist at Magnox’s Wylfa power station, before taking up several management positions at British Energy and then EDF Energy, in the UK and Canada.

In 2008 she became the Station Director of Heysham 1 power station and the first woman in the UK to have run a nuclear power station. During her time at EDF Energy, Gwen was also awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to science and technology.

Gwen is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the incoming President of the Nuclear Institute.