Working towards the Renewable Energy Directive - Biographies

Dr David Clarke - Chief Executive Officer, Energy Technologies Institute

David Clarke joined the Energy Technologies Institute as Chief Executive Officer in January 2008 from his previous role as Head of Technology Strategy at Rolls-Royce plc. David has been involved in collaborative research and development of advanced technologies for over 20 years, leading a range of research groups including Rolls-Royce’s Advanced Materials development activities and its corporate Strategic Research Centre. With the latter group he led Rolls-Royce’s global research strategy and the development of new technology opportunities in fields as diverse as fuel cells, electrical propulsion technologies and advanced computational diagnostics.

He has also been a member of EPSRC Council and is a member of the North West Science Council. David graduated from the University of Surrey in Materials Technology and with a PhD in Composite Materials. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials and of the Energy Institute and a Chartered Engineer.

Stuart Cook - Senior Partner, Transmission & Governance, Ofgem

Stuart Cook is Senior Partner, Transmission & Governance at Ofgem. He is responsible for all aspects of electricity and gas transmission policy, and for overseeing our work in connection with industry codes and licences. In this capacity he is leads Ofgem’s work on the funding of transmission investment to support the delivery of the Government’s renewable energy targets, on the next transmission price control review, and on the review of the governance of industry codes.

Stuart joined Ofgem in 2008. He has over 20 years of utilities industry experience. Prior to starting with Ofgem he worked as a Managing Consultant within the Energy and Utilities Consulting Practice of PA Consulting Group. Before that he worked with PwC Consulting in the UK and in Australia. In this capacity he worked with leading industry players around the world. He led the design of the competitive retail market in Scotland.

Gaynor Hartnell - Chief Executive Officer, Renewable Energy Association

Gaynor Hartnell is Chief Executive at the Renewable Energy Association. She has been with the REA since its formation in 2001. Gaynor has worked in the field of renewable energy since 1995, when she joined the British Wind Energy Association as Technical and Policy Analyst and later running the Biogas Association. Prior to this she was a Research Fellow in the Environment Group at the Science Policy Research Unit, Sussex University. She has a degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Science and Technology Policy.

Andrew Jamieson – ScottishPower Renewables

Since joining ScottishPower in 1988, Andrew has held key roles in engineering, marketing and financial planning. From 1997 to 2004 Andrew led ScottishPower’s Investor Relations department, communicating with institutional shareholders and analysts around the globe. In 2004 he moved to ScottishPower Renewables where he is responsible for energy policy and regulation. Andrew is active in the UK’s renewable energy trade associations, being Chairman of ScottishRenewables and a board member of RenewableUK, formerly the British Wind Energy Association. In 2009 he accepted an invitation from the First Minister to join the newly established Energy Advisory Board.

Taf Powell - Director, Emerging Energy Technologies, Health and Safety Executive

Taf Powell graduated in Geology and Chemistry from Nottingham University. His career, until 2005 was split between working in the UK and abroad in offshore exploration and development and topsides engineering both in Government and in the private sector.

He joined HSE from BP in 1992 as Aberdeen Operations Manager to assist the introduction of a new UK offshore regulatory framework following the Piper Alpha disaster in July 1988. In 2000 Taf was appointed Director of HSE’s Offshore Division and was responsible for regulating all of the UK’s upstream oil and gas sectors, and for regulation of all commercial diving activities.

In December 2005 Taf was appointed to lead the Government’s investigation into the Buncefield Major Incident of 11th December 2005 under the supervision of an independent Board Chaired by Lord Newton of Braintree. Taf produced nine reports for the Board including 78 recommendations for land use planning, emergency preparedness, understanding the violence of the Buncefield explosions, and design and operation of high hazard industrial sites.

Taf is now Director of Emerging Energy Technologies, a new role in HSE, which aims to support Government policy for climate change and for safe, sustainable energy in the UK. The components of the programme embrace all non-nuclear aspects of the future energy economy: carbon capture and storage; underground storage of gas, and LNG; renewables including wind, marine and biomass; localised generation of electricity and hydrogen fuel cells; main distribution and transmission of energy; and cleaner coal technology. The aim is for HSE to be a responsible enabling regulator, supporting the introduction and expansion of untested or pervasive new energy industries into the UK economy.

Mark Williamson - Director of Innovations, The Carbon Trust

Mark leads the Carbon Trust's extensive range of work to accelerate the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies. This includes supporting commercially-focused research and development, incubating early-stage 'clean tech' companies and delivering large-scale technology demonstrators in high priority areas. Current areas of focus include offshore wind, marine energy, biomass heating, low carbon buildings, industrial energy efficiency, advanced biofuels, organic solar PV and LED lighting.

Prior to the Carbon Trust, Mark was a senior manager at Accenture where he ran major technology development programmes and worked on technology strategy and implementation for a variety of clients. Mark has also previously worked for Hewlett Packard Laboratories and the Ministry of Defence.

Mark is a Chartered Engineer and holds a first class honours degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in wireless communications, both from the University of Bristol. He also has an MBA from the International school of Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, where he received the Presidents Award for outstanding achievement.