Derby-based engineering consultancy Rodgers Leask has appointed a new director in a bid to expand its business in the nuclear sector.
Chairman Andy Leask Welcomes Sue Hewish to the team
Sue Hewish, who has vast experience in the field, joins the company as director and head of the new nuclear division, becoming the first female director in the company’s 30-year history.
Rodgers Leask already does work locally in the nuclear sector with Rolls-Royce.
Chairman Andy Leask explained how he had been eager to build on the company’s offering in the nuclear sector for some time and was keen to have Sue, a long-standing contact via the Nuclear Industry Association, join the company when she expressed an interest in its work.
“We saw an opportunity to take our expertise in this area a step further,” he said. “I already knew of Sue’s vast experience, both technically and in business development with her various contacts and we were delighted to recruit her.
“She will play an active part in the company, consulting on new build of nuclear power stations and the decommissioning of redundant facilities. We see this as a significant niche market where we can expand the business.”
In addition to the internal knowledge and expertise at Rodgers Leask, Sue’s vast array of contacts within the nuclear sector are among the leading figures in their respective fields to call on for expert support. “Sue’s appointment is a coup and adds real credibility to our offering,” Andy added.
From her base in Cornwall Sue will be travelling around the country in her work for Rodgers Leask as well as attending meetings at the company’s headquarters in St James House on Mansfield Road, Derby.
“I’m really pleased to be working for Rodgers Leask,” she said. “I am looking forward to new challenges in helping the company further develop its nuclear business.”
Originally a chemist in nuclear technology development with an environmental focus on cleaning up sites, Sue has 25 years experience in her sector.
The projects that she has worked on previously included spending several years in decontaminating milk production in Ukraine and Belarus after the disaster at Chernobyl in 1986, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and casualties.
She was also involved in a study to clean contaminated groundwater at the massive Savannah River Site in the US state of South Carolina which was built to refine nuclear materials.
