Meet the NESO Board

Paul is an engineer with extensive leadership experience in energy and the engineering sector, most recently as Chair of the National Air Traffic Service. He was formerly CEO of E.ON UK plc, a Non- Executive Director of National Grid plc and Chair of Costain Group plc. He is a director of the ERA Foundation. 

He previously Chaired the Engineering & Physical Sciences research council and was a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.  

He was awarded the CBE in recognition of his service to the energy industry. 

Fintan is CEO of NESO. Prior to this, Fintan led Great Britain’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) as its Executive Director. He was previously CEO of the EirGrid Group, the electricity transmission system operator and market operator in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He also worked for McKinsey & Co supporting clients across Ireland, the UK and Europe, as well as holding various management roles in ESB in Ireland and the United States. 

Fintan is both a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Ireland and the Energy Institute. He holds a Masters in Engineering Science and an MBA from University College Dublin. 

Hannah has extensive experience in economic regulation across a range of industries. She was the inaugural CEO of the Payment Systems Regulator and a senior partner at Ofgem, where she had responsibility for the networks division. She is currently Chair of the Single Source Regulations Office and holds Non-Executive Director roles on the Boards of Worldpay UK and the Financial Reporting Council. She was formerly a NED at Thames Water and the Jersey and Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authorities.  

Paul is an experienced business leader and strategic thinker now working as Professor of rail strategy at the University of Birmingham and a Non-Executive Director of adviser. He is director of the Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education (BCRRE) and academic lead for UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). Previously he was CEO of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and Association of Train Operating Companies. Prior to that he was on the Board of Network Rail where responsibilities included the system operator activities. His earlier career spanned the regulated utilities as an economist and adviser working for governments, companies and regulators.  

John has held senior technology roles in Microsoft and Yahoo and was formerly Chief Technology Officer at several companies including BBC and Wood Mackenzie. 

He has been a NED of both FTSE and AIM listed companies since 2012 and is currently on the Board of Brooks Macdonald, an AIM listed Wealth Management company where he is also chair of the Remuneration Committee. He is also Strategic Technology Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence. 

Jayne is currently Chair of the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN). She is a Board member of Nuclear Restoration Services, one of the Nuclear Decommissioning Operating Companies, a Board Member with the Mining Remediation Authority, Chair of the Joint Audit Panel for The Metropolitan Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and is a Member of the Audit, Risk, Ethics and Assurance Committee at the Information Commissioners’ Office.  

Previously, she has held Non-Executive Director roles at Ofgem, the Marine Management Organisation and the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. She has also been a Panel Member with the Competition and Markets Authority.  

Formerly, she was Director of Finance and Performance Management at NHS Fife. Jayne also has extensive experience in economic regulation and was also a Panel Member with the Competition and Markets Authority. 

John is a chartered electrical and mechanical engineer with extensive experience in electricity generation, distribution and energy services businesses. He was formerly the MD of Central Networks and has been a Non-Executive Director of the Office of Nuclear Regulation and of Ofgem, where he chaired the network price review committee. 

In his military career, he was responsible for a policy and strategy branch in the Ministry of Defence and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Army Board. He chairs a grant-making charity and is also involved in veterans and housing charities in the West Midlands.

Emma has significant experience of transforming UK Energy & Water assets through her Executive roles with Shell, National Grid (gas distribution) and Severn Trent plc. She was also the CEO of Puma Energy, a privately owned Global Downstream Energy company focused on developing markets in Africa, Asia and Central America.

Over the last 14 years she has served on various plc Boards including Cookson Group plc, Alent plc, DCC plc, UPM Kymmene (Helsinki Nasdaq) and Graphene Manufacturing Group (TSX). She currently sits on the board of Newmont Corporation (NYSE) and Seplat Energy plc. She also provides executive coaching to global senior executives and CEOs of clean tech startups. As an expert advisor to the World Economic Forum, she is focused on finding practical pathways to provide reliable and affordable access to energy in all global markets.

Siobhan is a Director at UK Government Investments (UKGI) where she is Head of UKGI’s Financial Instruments and Transactions Advisory Group (FInTAG). The group provides advise, data and analysis to HMG on financial commitments at project and portfolio level. Prior to joining UKGI in 2021, Siobhan worked in banking across a number of institutions. She has over 25 years’ experience as an Investment Banker running business in the UK and the US. She is a highly experienced advisor having worked at Board and Exec level with the largest European companies and funds, led complex projects across the credit spectrum. Working with the largest global debt investors she took a lead role in the development and growth of the private debt market for European businesses. Siobhan worked with St Mungos as a volunteer outreach worker for a number of years and until recently was involved as a Trustee at the Carer's Network. 

Having been appointed as COO in January 2024, Kayte oversees NESO’s delivery across energy networks and markets and the real time operation of the electricity transmission system. As NESO has transitioned to become the ‘Future System Operator’ (FSO), Kayte’s focus has been on building and embedding a ‘whole system’ approach to the strategic planning and delivery of GB’s energy transition. 

With more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector, Kayte was most recently accountable, for the design and delivery of the FSO on behalf of NESO. She has previously led the Strategy and Markets teams and spent 3 years in Boston with National Grid’s US electricity distribution businesses.

Kayte is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Jersey Electricity.

Charlie joined the NESO in 2023 and is a chartered public finance accountant. As Chief Finance Officer he is responsible for the financial management of NESO, together with the procurement, property and portfolio management functions. Prior to NESO, Charlie had a career in the UK Government Civil Service including working in HM Treasury in various public spending teams, working as part of the team delivering the London 2012 Olympic Games and latterly as CFO of the Ministry of Defence.

Zoe is an experienced energy and regulatory lawyer having spent 10 years advising a number of the UK National Grid business units. Prior to that she worked at Ofwat as a legal advisor and in 2008 qualified as a solicitor in private practice specialising in competition and procurement law.