Fintan Slye

Chair of the NGESO Board

Fintan Slye is Director of the ESO and Chair of the Board. He joined the ESO in 2018. Prior to this he was CEO of the EirGrid Group, the electricity system and market operator in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He has previously worked for McKinsey & Company and ESB Group.

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 Nixon

Independent Non Executive Director

Hannah has extensive experience in economic regulation, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR).

She has been a member of several advisory boards, including the Government Economics Service, the ORR advisory panel and water regulator Ofwat’s Future Regulation advisory panel.

Hannah currently sits on the board of the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authority (CICRA).

Baroness Gillian Merron

Independent Non Executive Director

Baroness Merron of Lincoln is a Life Peer and Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as a Whip. 

She is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Lincoln, a Vice President of Liberal Judaism and Ambassador for Smart Works. 

Formerly Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Baroness Merron was the MP for Lincoln between 1997 and 2010. During this time, she served in government as a Senior Whip, and as a Minister in the Health, International Development, and Transport Departments as well as in the Cabinet Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Paul Plummer

Independent Non Executive Director

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 in the housing and energy sectors. Until recently 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. 

Kayte O’Neill

Transformation Director

Kayte joined the ESO in 2018 and National Grid in 2002. As Director of Transformation Kayte is leading the organisation’s work on establishing the ‘Future System Operator’ (FSO). Prior to her current role, she has served as Head of Markets and Head of Strategy and Regulation for the ESO. She also spent time in National Grid’s US electricity distribution businesses. Kayte holds a first-class degree in Business Economics and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development. She holds Non-Executive Director roles on the Boards of both Jersey Electricity and Regen.

John Linwood

Independent Non-Executive Director

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.

Zoe Morrissey

Legal Counsel

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.

Non-Board

Claire Favier-Tilston - Company Secretary

Claire, is a Chartered Secretary, with over fifteen years’ experience as a governance and compliance professional. Providing corporate governance advice and support to a range of PLC and Private Boards and Committees within a wide variety of commercial and charitable organisations.