CNPA member honoured in New Year’s honours list
Civil Nuclear Police Authority board member Gwen Parry-Jones has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s honours list.
Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) board member Gwen Parry-Jones has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s honours list.
The honour recognises Gwen’s role within the energy industry as EDF Energy’s Safety and Assurance Director and also her work promoting science and technology careers. Gwen was also the first woman to become a station director when she took over Heysham 1 nuclear power station, Lancashire, in 2008.
She said: “I am delighted and privileged to have been awarded an OBE. This award was only possible through the support of my colleagues who have encouraged me for the last 25 years.
“I am proud to have held various posts over my career, including being the first female station director of a nuclear power station in the UK. The task now is to ensure all our people have the greatest chance to be their best, including nurturing the next female station director!”
Sir Philip Trousdell KBE, CB, and Chairman of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, said: “Gwen joined the CNPA board as an industry member in June 2014 and I am delighted she has been recognised in the honours list for her hard work and dedication to the energy industry over many years. We are privileged to have her on our board and I congratulate her on receiving an OBE.”
Gwen was born in North Wales and went to Beaumaris Primary School and then Penrhos College in Colwyn Bay. She studied for a bachelor’s degree in Physics at Manchester University and a master’s degree in Banking and Economics at the European Business School, University College of North Wales. Gwen is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Her early career began as a reactor physicist and reactor control engineer at Wylfa nuclear power station in north Wales. In 1995 she moved to Barnwood, Gloucestershire, as a management accountant with Nuclear Electric before moving to Heysham 2 power station in 1997 as finance manager.
In 2000 she moved to Canada as part of the British Energy’s team working at Bruce Power, in North Ontario. A year later Gwen returned to the UK, taking up a position at Barnwood before moving to Heysham 1 as technical and safety manager. In 2007 she became plant manager at Sizewell B power station in Suffolk.
And in 2008, she was appointed as the station director at Heysham 1 power station. After three years at Heysham she took on a new role as EDF Energy’s Campus Project Director, to further develop the company’s training and skills programmes.
In November 2012 Gwen took on her current role with EDF Energy’s Generation as Safety and Assurance Director.