The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has announced the appointment of five new Board members to lead the organisation.
Appointed by the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Gillian Keegan MP, Board members will work under the leadership of Lynda Armstrong OBE, Chair of the ECITB. They will help steer the ECITB and champion its work as the statutory skills body for the engineering construction industry in England, Scotland and Wales.
The appointments come at a critical time for the industry as it deals with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the low oil price. Trustees will lead the ECITB’s recently unveiled Covid-19 crisis response package, which involves a £4.5m Train to Retain scheme for graduates and apprentices, a new ECITB scholarship design and measures to boost digital training and assessment.
Lynda Armstrong, Chair of the ECITB
The Board is also responsible for overseeing the delivery of the ECITB’s 3-year strategy, Leading Industry Learning 2020-2022. The strategy, which received the backing of industry in Autumn 2019, is designed to tackle the major challenges facing engineering construction companies, including skills shortages, technological transformation and the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in England and Wales and by 2045 in Scotland.
The new Board members, all from the industry, are:
- Jane Cooper, who is the Senior Manager for Stakeholder Relations and Regulatory Affairs at Ørsted UK.
- Daniel Gear, who is a Strategic Programme Lead at Petrofac Engineering & Production Services
- Cameron Gilmour, who is Vice President at Doosan Babcock
- Steve Hunt, who is the UK Regional Director for Stork.
- Paudie Somers, who is CEO at Altrad for UK, Ireland and the Nordics.
Lynda Armstrong, Chair of the ECITB Board, said: “I am pleased to welcome such a high-calibre group of professionals to the ECITB. Collectively they represent the wide range of sectors and regions in which the engineering construction industry operates, and complement the diversity of talent already represented on the Board.
“I am in no doubt that these appointments will greatly benefit the ECITB at what is a critical time for the organisation. Earlier this month, we launched a new Covid-19 response package designed to support industry training through this difficult period. I am firmly committed to doing all we can to secure vital skills in the industry as it moves into the recovery phase.”
About the new Board Members:
Jane is Head of Stakeholder Relations & Regulatory Affairs for Ørsted in the UK. She was previously Head of Economic Regulation for Orange UK and worked as an aerothermal engineer at Rolls Royce Industrial and Marine Gas Turbines in Coventry. She is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer.
Daniel is Strategy Lead at Petrofac EPS, and is a core member of the Group’s Energy Transition Steering Committee. He has led the pursuit of some of the UKCS’ largest integrated services opportunities in recent years and has held a number of delivery-focussed roles across engineering and technical consultancy. Daniel’s background in piping was underpinned by an ECITB-accredited apprenticeship in Engineering and Design.
Cameron is Vice President Nuclear, Doosan Babcock. A Chartered Mechanical Engineer with 29 years’ experience across the Engineering Construction Industry. Cameron is responsible for running the Doosan Babcock Nuclear and Defence Business supporting customers across New Build, Power Generation, Decommissioning and Defence.
Steve is Regional Director for Stork. Steve started his career as an EITB (correct) Engineering Apprentice with Babcock & Wilcox. He progressed rapidly through increasingly senior management roles to senior executive level positions, with a number of major energy companies both within the UK and internationally.Paudie is CEO of Altrad Services UK, Ireland and Nordics. The Altrad Group provide critical industrial services and equipment principally to the energy, construction and natural resources sectors in the UK and internationally.
