Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) chairman Tom Smith has decided not to seek a further term on the NDA board when his term ends in February 2020.

Smith will step down after seven years on the board, with three of those spent as chairman, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has started the recruitment process for his successor.

Smith said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to oversee the important task of decommissioning the UK’s nuclear legacy. I am proud of the real and tangible progress that has been made during my tenure as chairman, and I believe that the NDA is emerging as a stronger and better organisation that is well-prepared to face the challenges ahead. I offer my warm thanks to all those who work so hard to deliver such impressive progress and have made my job enjoyable and worthwhile.”

Starting his role as chairman in March 2017, Smith was responsible for overseeing the operation, decommissioning and clean-up of the NDA’s 17 first generation civil nuclear sites. 

Smith has public sector experience working in the Diplomatic Service and has held private sector roles in the infrastructure and rail sectors. He was also chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies from 2009 to 2013, a non-executive director of Highways England from 2014-2017 and is currently chairman of Angel Trains Group Ltd.

NDA chief executive, David Peattie, said: “On behalf of the NDA, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Tom for his long service on the board and his excellent leadership during an important time for the organisation. We wish him every success for the future.”