Leadership and Governance

Chief Executive: Dr John Siddorn

Dr John Siddorn is Chief Executive of the National Oceanography Centre.

John was previously the NOC Chief Scientist responsible for leading the research direction across all elements of NOC’s portfolio and is an Honorary Fellow at the Met Office and a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute.

Since joining NOC in 2020 John has championed the embedding of digital approaches to furthering science, including digital innovations and has been key to thought leadership in his field and in shaping the research landscape.

Prior to joining NOC, John was at the Met Office where he was Head of Ocean Forecasting R&D. His personal research was on developing ocean models for climate and hazard prediction and understanding.

Prior to his career at the Met Office, John worked at Plymouth Marine Laboratory as a mathematical modeller in the biogeochemistry modelling team with the primary responsibility for implementing marine dynamical models.

Chief Scientific Officer: Professor Penny Holliday

Professor Penny Holliday is Chief Scientific Officer at the National Oceanography Centre.

Penny is a physical oceanographer, and her research has focused on the circulation and variability of the subpolar North Atlantic, and the role of the ocean in our changing climate. She has participated in 21 seagoing expeditions, several as Chief Scientist.

Penny joined the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Deacon Laboratory in 1990, initially working as a project manager for a global, multi-national research programme (World Ocean Circulation Experiment, WOCE), and later combining that role with her research. She received her PhD from the University of Liverpool in 2002, and worked part-time at the NOC from 2003 to 2016, before returning to full-time. Prior to this posting Penny was Head of the Marine Physics and Ocean Climate group at the NOC.

In June 2019 Penny was awarded the title of Honorary Professorial Fellow (Research) by the University of Southampton and was a recipient of the Society of Underwater Technology’s Oceanography Award in December 2019. Penny has also won internal peer-to-peer Awards at the NOC for her Integrity and her continued support of staff Empowerment, two of the six NOC Values

Chief Operating Officer: Julie Pringle Stewart

Julie Pringle Stewart is the Chief Operating Officer at the National Oceanography Centre. Julie studied for a BA in Commerce at Napier University in Edinburgh and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). She began her career in the financial sector beofre moving into the research environment over 25 years ago, initially working with the British Geological Survey commercialising its portfolio.

One of her main areas of interest is the sustainability of publicly funded research establishments having worked with the original Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) (then the Department of Science & Technology, DST) team on the reform of the dual support funding system, including the introduction of TRAC (TRansparent ACcounting) and then its implementation into the RCUK Research Institutes.

Julie went on to work at the NERC Research Ship Unit, heading the Finance and Operation team, and following a period as Deputy Director Finance at NERC Head Office, Julie then joined NOC in a Director role in 2013.

In addition to her Director role, she has worked as the NOC lead (chairing the board on behalf of NERC for a period) on the Governance, Responsibilities and Ownership Programme which looked at the future independence of the Research Centres.

Associate Director Digital Ocean: Dr Jon Blower

Jon joined NOC in 2022 as Head of Ocean Informatics, before moving into the role of Associate Director for Digital Ocean in July 2023. Jon is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Digital Ocean division, ensuring that it is recognised as an indispensable enabler of all NOC science and the resulting societal benefit.

Before joining NOC, Jon worked at the University of Reading, most recently as CTO of the Institute for Environmental Analytics, where he managed an interdisciplinary team of software developers, data scientists, meteorologists and climate scientists, working with partners in government and industry to create new capabilities for data-driven decision-making. Prior to this, Jon worked for several years in marine informatics in the Department of Meteorology, working on various projects including MyOcean (which later transitioned into the Copernicus Marine Service), in which he led the development of the data visualisation services. He holds a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Bristol, and a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Associate Director Corporate and Business Support: Natalie Campbell

Natalie is Associate Director of Corporate Business Support, which provides a comprehensive, professional, seamless support infrastructure to facilitate the core business of the NOC. Natalie received a BSc in Ocean and Earth Science from the University of Liverpool and an MSc in Oceanography from the University of Southampton. After graduating Natalie progressed through several roles with the Natural Environment Research Council learning how technical project support skills are essential to all successful funding applications and science expeditions.

In 2013 she became the Head of Science and Project Support at the NOC and advanced to Associate Director in 2018 demonstrating her passion and commitment to the diverse teams of professionals enabling world-leading science and engineering. Natalie has now graduated on the Project Leadership Programme delivered by Cranfield University School of Management, the purpose of which is to develop a new cadre of elite project leaders.

Associate Director National Marine Facilities: Dr Maaten Furlong

Dr Maaten Furlong is a Systems Engineer with over 20 years of experience in Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS). He has worked on most aspects of the R&D and operation of MAS and has led and participated in numerous science and engineering expeditions.

In 2022, he became the Associate Director of NOC’s National Marine Facilities division, overseeing the UK’s National Marine Equipment Pool and the operations of the UK’s research vessels RRS Discovery and the RRS James Cook.

Associate Director NOC Innovations: Huw Gullick

Huw is responsible for the NOC’s business development strategy through NOC Innovations Ltd, the trading subsidiary of the NOC providing marine science and technology, data information products and facilities, the profits of which are used to support the NOC’s charitable purposes of advancing ocean science and education.

Huw’s career has seen him work for large engineering organisations in a variety of commercial roles including global aero engine maker Rolls-Royce Plc; French owned global technology company Safran and materials engineering company Praxair Surface Technologies where he was responsible for the commercial and business strategy for the UK business across all markets including aerospace, oil and gas, industrial gas turbines and general industry.

Chairman: Sir Jeremy Darroch

For 14 years Jeremy was instrumental in leading Sky into a new era of environmental awareness with a substantial commitment to environmental sustainability. Under Jeremy’s leadership, Sky was the first major media company to commit to becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2030.

During his time at Sky, Jeremy helped spearhead the launch of major initiatives designed to bring awareness to the challenges facing the environment. These included Rainforest Rescue that helped save more than 1 billion trees in the Amazon Rainforest and Ocean Rescue that has raised awareness and brought action on the devastating effect of plastics pollution on ocean health.

Jeremy was awarded the inaugural MIP United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Award in 2020 and also serves as an ambassador to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF).

Jeremy was knighted in June 2023 for his services to business, charity and sustainability.

Dan Hook

Dan Hook CEng, FRINA is a Naval Architect and Chartered Engineer with over 18 years’ experience in the marine industry. Upon graduating from the University of Southampton, Dan worked as a naval architect on the development, testing and trials of a wide range of specialist craft. During this time he recognised the potential within the unmanned vehicle industry and specialised in unmanned platform design.

Dan was one of the founding members of ASV Global, now known as L3 ASV and held the position of Managing Director as the company grew from two employees to about 150 before selling to L3 Technologies. This company continues to be at the forefront of unmanned surface vehicles and supplied systems around the world for defence, survey, oil and gas and scientific applications.

Dan is now the Chief Technology Officer of Ocean Infinity and Director of several start-up marine tech companies.

Professor Sir Ian Boyd

Professor Sir Ian Boyd is Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is currently Professor in Biology at the University of St Andrews.

He has BSc and DSc degrees for the University of Aberdeen, a PhD from Cambridge University and has received prizes for his research including the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London, the Bruce Medal for Polar Science from the Royal Society of Edinburgh and The Polar Medal awarded by Her Majesty The Queen. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Ian received a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2019 for services to Science and Economics on Food and the Environment.

Ian has previously been a Physiological Ecologist with the Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, a Science Programme Director with the British Antarctic Survey and Director at the Natural Environment Research Council’s Sea Mammal Research Unit.

Dr Sarah McMath

Sarah is the Chief Executive Officer, of MOSL (the market operator for business customers). MOSL is responsible for the smooth and efficient running of the new and growing water market for business customers. This new market opened in April 2017, and allows 1.2 million businesses, public sector bodies, charity and not-for-profit organisations in England to choose who provides their water retails services.

With a doctorate in Environmental Engineering, Sarah worked for Thames Water for 24 years in a wide variety of roles, leading teams of up to 3,000 people in both technical and operational areas. Sarah started her career in the Research and Development team, moving on to lead front line operational functions and technical support teams. Sarah led the development of the company’s Business Plan and developed the corporate strategy for the board of Thames Water, including the preparations for competition in the business market. Sarah’s most recent role in Thames was as the Managing Director of Strategic Planning and Investment, with accountability for all Asset Management, Science, Engineering, Health and Safety and Innovation in Thames Water.

Dr Ruth Boumphrey

Dr Ruth Boumphrey is the Chief Executive Officer at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a global charity protecting life and property and supporting education, engineering-related research and public engagement.

She has experience in the marine science and technology sector, holding a BSc in Environmental Science and a PhD in Ecotoxicology, and has previously held roles as the Head of Earth Observation for the UK Space Agency; as the Head of International at Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and for Research Policy and International Division at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Ruth is a Council member at the Welding Institute and previously sat as a Council member at Lancaster University. She sits on the National Preparedness Commission, the advisory board for the Journal of data-centric engineering and the Research Institution for Sociotechnical Cybersecurity. She is a founder and board member of EngineeringX: an initiative to promote excellence in international engineering for public good.

Dr Hosein Khajeh-Hosseiny

Hosein has over 25 years of experience in venture capital and private equity investing, focused on evaluating, financing and commercialising innovations across diverse sectors in the US and Europe. Hosein has also had a 27-year relationship with the global strategy and management consultancy firm, McKinsey & Company, as a Senior Advisor on Innovation, Growth and Transformation.

Hosein brings experience of both large and small companies and enjoys the excitement around tech/science, business building, natural capital and social entrepreneurship, being one of the first people to help build UnLtd, a social entrepreneurship foundation. Hosein founded Trinity Natural Capital Group, which has already grown to serve the UK, EU, Latin America, Japan and the US. Trinity focuses on the transformation of global Agriculture, emphasising carbon, soil health, water, and biodiversity for maximising productivity and sustainability.

Hosein is also a Trustee of several organisations including the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Royal Society for Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and the Royal Albert Hall Trust, and the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. He holds a PhD from Cambridge University.

Sir Michael Dixon

Sir Michael Dixon trained as a zoologist at Imperial College, London and then completed doctoral studies at the University of York. He is currently the Principal of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford.

From 1980 to 1999 Michael worked in the world of scientific, technical, and medical publishing, for most of this time with John Wiley and Sons, but latterly as Managing Director of the then newly merged European based STM businesses, for the Thomson Corporation.

Michael switched career paths in 2000 and was appointed Director General of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). In four years at ZSL Michael reorganised the Society into a new functional structure, introduced a new brand identity and improved financial performance to allow significant new investment in the Society’s activities.

During 2004 Michael became the Director of the Natural History Museum and under his leadership attendance increased from 3m to 5.4m visits per annum, and the Darwin Centre was opened in 2010.

Michael is a Trustee of the Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences (Royal Albert Hall) and Green Templeton College, Oxford.

Michael was awarded a knighthood for services to museums in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014.

David McSweeney

David was the interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) – one of the UK’s pre-eminent National Laboratories – from May 2023 until April 2024 and continues to support their Technology Transfers on a part time basis using the knowledge gained from NPL’s Scientific Research and Commercial activities; he is also an NPL Distinguished Visitor. David is also a Charity Trustee of the Busen Martial Arts and Sports Trust and enjoys giving back to the sport in which he is still active after many decades, having attained a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Karate in 2018.

David works with several clients providing Strategic, Financial and Governance Consultancy advice through Donmai Ltd.

Prior to NPL, David enjoyed a successful career in the Maritime Industry as CFO of British Maritime Technology having served as an Executive on the Parent Board (BMT Group Ltd) for 22 years until April 2023. During that time, he was deeply involved in ships and shipping from cradle to grave, along with exposure to both the offshore energy and marine insurance & environment sectors; he was also a finalist in the Institute of Directors’ 2012 ‘Director of the Year – large company section’. David qualified as a Chartered Director and became a fellow of the IOD in 2019 and participates as an IOD Mentor.

Before 2001, David cherished his accountancy career as an audit and corporate finance partner at RSM UK (formerly Baker Tilly) where he initially trained as a Chartered Accountant. He has helped many different types of business and specialised in people businesses within the design, engineering, technology, and property sectors, both as a trusted advisor and as a non-executive Director. His extensive experience of corporate finance and treasury matters has ranged from small owner managed businesses to large public listed companies in the FTSE 100, 250 and on NASDAQ.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and served as a member of the Technical and Practical Auditing Committee providing guidance to the profession.

Clare Harbord

Clare is a FTSE-200 Executive Committee Member and Corporate Affairs Director who has operated for over 15 years at Board level in listed, regulated, private and central government contexts.

For the last decade, Clare has led and shaped the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and sustainability agenda for two >£2.5bn infrastructure businesses. Most recently, Clare was Group Executive Director at Drax Group, the UK’s biggest renewable generator, she stepped down in July 2023.

Clare previously led a financial services practice within an international consultancy focused on some of the largest UK retail banks and insurers with a focus on brand, digital, marketing and crisis management. She has also been an advisor to Energy UK and the Confederation of British Industry.

Clare is a graduate of Southampton University and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Affairs (CIPR).