Speaker Biographies
Stuart Crooks
Managing Director, hinkley point c : edf energy
Stuart started his career in 1981 as apprentice maintenance electrician & joined British Energy in 1986 in various engineering & senior management posts on 3 different designs of Advanced Gas Reactors. On completing his MBA he became a Business Analyst in the newly privatised British Energy working on international energy projects.
In 2001 Stuart held the role of Deputy Station Director at Dungeness. He was appointed Station Director at Hartlepool in 2003 & in 2007 Boiler Closure Unit Project Director for Hartlepool/Heysham following discovery of a failed component in a safety critical assembly. Following completion of this project he progressed to Safety & Technical Director.
In July 2009 following acquisition of British Energy by EDF he was appointed Chief Technical Officer of Nuclear Generation responsible for commercial & technical support for 15 nuclear reactors on 8 power stations to achieve the optimum level of performance, safety and reliability.
Stuart was appointed as Managing Director, Generation on 1st January 2014, responsible for EDF Energy UK fleet of nuclear, coal, gas and renewables which make the most of lifetime asset management and portfolio management.
In September 2017 Stuart was appointed as Managing Director of Hinkley Point C, responsible for the construction of a twin EPR nuclear new build power station, the first new plant in the UK for a generation.
Stuart is a Chartered Electrical Engineer, a fellow of the Electrical Engineering Institute, has an HND in Physics, BSc in Physics, BSc (Hons) in applied Physics and an MBA. He is married with 3 adult children
Katherine Bennett OBE FRAeS
Senior vice president, airbus in the uk
Katherine is a Senior Vice President of Airbus and has been with the company for 13 years. She leads the company’s external engagement and strategy in the UK and reports directly to the Global CEO, Tom Enders. Katherine has held roles in Communications and spent several years based at Airbus HQ in Toulouse, France running the global public affairs function.
Katherine’s previous employment was with General Motors UK where she headed up their government affairs function and prior to that worked for Hill and Knowlton Public Relations in London. Katherine was awarded the Order of the British Empire in June 2004 for services to industry and charity. She has served on various boards of public/private enterprises focused on economic development in UK regions including the West of England LEP and has just become Vice President, Aerospace on the Council of ADS (the UK aerospace trade association) and of ASD (European aero association). A year ago she became Chair of the Engagement Group of the Aerospace Growth Partnership (part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy).
Based out of London and Bristol, she has specific responsibility for UK Government Relations for all parts of the Airbus company which employs 15,000 people in the UK.
In December 2015 she became a Board Member of the International Aviation Womens’ Association and in March 2016 she was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Katherine is active in her local community in Wiltshire, is a church organist, a member of the UK Parliament Choir and founder of the Airbus Filton Choir.
