Are We Nearly There Yet?

Don't just do the task. Look at what's going on and ask a hundred questions | Adriènne Kelbie | CEO, ONR

Adriènne Kelbie shares her story which starts with being curious! She developed her natural ability to understand people and the world around. 
Growing up around Glasgow, Adriènne had a love for horses and through this learnt discipline and time keeping with one of her own to look after, giving her a good work ethic. Working incredibly hard, Adriènne has had a diverse career journey taking her from temping as a PA, to training roles, to Operations Director at the National Lotteries Charity Board before finally settling at the Office for Nuclear Regulation as their Chief Executive. 
Adriènne has a passion for STEM which resulted in her being the first Patron for Women in Nuclear UK and an Ambassador for Powerful Women. Adriènne talks about her achievements from being young and explains why she's never looked for a job, only opportunities! For more information: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/adriennekelbie

Choose something you enjoy and you’ll be successful at it | Rob Whittleston | Vice President for Insight

Rob Whittleston is NNL’s Vice President for Insight and works as part of the Science Strategy and Innovation directorate where he is leading the delivery of strategic intelligence and insight to support sector growth in a shifting nuclear landscape. 
Rob talks about his choice to study Earth System Science at Leeds University before successfully completing a PhD in Geochemistry. Rob’s varied career, saw him starting out as a project manager with Radioactive Waste Management before moving on to Hitachi Europe, then into Government Department for Transport. I guess you’d say he’s followed his own advice to success: “Choose something you enjoy and you’ll be successful at it”.
Rob grew up in Sheffield and now lives in South Manchester with his wife Hannah.
For more information: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rob-whittleston

Don't Hold Back | Deb Hill | Technical Leader and Laboratory Fellow

Deb Hill shares her career story as a technical leader in the field of nuclear criticality and a storm chaser in her spare time.  As a nervous youngster, Deb learned to grow and develop through the encouragement of a mentor and the realisation that only she could step outside her comfort zone.
Deb’s story is one of growing boldness to grow and develop as person and in a career.  Her advice to new graduates is now, “don’t let you be the one who holds you back”.
Deb Hill is a Technical Leader and a Laboratory Fellow in Criticality Safety at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory and last year was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the American Nuclear Society’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Division. For more information see: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-hill-71b5582b/

The Good Guys | Steve Garwood | Professor and Non-Executive Director

Steve Garwood grew up in South Glamorgan.  His ambition to read Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College was deemed "Aiming a bit high" by one school teacher.  But upon arriving, he gained fresh motivation. Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, court cases and the world of engineering have all played a part in his career jouney.
 
Whether it’s gaining a PhD or jetting off to Newfoundland to study a ship failure, there are plenty of lessons to take away from Steve’s story. A key person in the UK's structural integrity community, Steve is happy to discuss the opportunities, the people and the key moments that have shaped his career.
 
Steve is Professor of Structural Integrity at Imperial College and a Non-Executive Director of the National Nuclear Laboratory. See https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-garwood-043206a9/?originalSubdomain=uk

People, Knowledge, Solutions | Nassia Tzelepi | Laboratory Fellow

Nassia Tzelepi was fascinated by science from a young age growing up in Greece.  It led her to read Molecular and Laser Physics at the University in Crete.  Her career journey took her from 40°C heat in Greece to horizontal rain in West Cumbria to work in the UK nuclear industry.
Nassia talks about discovering her purpose and her inner desire see the positive impact of science in the real world; on energy and the environment. As a materials expert, Nassia shares her passion to contribute to a greater good, to something that is useful; the safe operation of nuclear reactors providing zero carbon power in the UK.
Nassia is a Laboratory Fellow at the National Nuclear Laboratory. See https://www.linkedin.com/in/nassia-tzelepi-7a3aa132/

Be Adventurous | David King | Chair of N-Gage

For David King, life is an adventure. Having trained in law, he had a successful international career in accountancy becoming Finance Director and then Chief Executive of a Primary Care Trust.
 
Everything changed in 2006, when the Care Trust was dissolved. For the first time in his life he had “zero plans”. David’s Christian faith, adventurous spirit, and a passion for making a difference led him into the charity sector and teaching English as a second language.
 
Since 2006, David has travelled to China and Africa multiple times. He is Chair of N-Gage, a youth charity, the Brockbank Foundation Ltd. and is a part-time teacher of English as a second language with the Manchester Adult Education Service. See https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-king-571a4425/
 

Take the Opportunity | Lindsay Edmiston | Business Manager

Lindsay Edmiston discusses her career adventure including how she has successfully managed family priorities with a leading career in the nuclear industry.
 
Lindsay studied Industrial Chemistry at Cardiff and though she couldn’t speak German went to do a PhD in Germany - she learnt quickly!  Her career then took her to West Cumbria and the nuclear industry where she has developed an ability to bring together and manage teams.
 
Lindsay is a Business Leader and Head of Capability in nuclear waste management and decommissioning at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-edmiston-637007a0/

Sum Of The Parts | Rich Deakin | Director, Low Cost Nuclear Challenge

Rich Deakin talks about stepping outside his comfort zone from a working class background in a South Yorkshire mining community to an influential career in the nuclear sector.
 
Rich is a people person, recognising the importance of other people's skills in the teams he has led.  This approach has helped him to solve some of the nuclear industry's most challenging problems in operating facilities. Rich discusses what he has learned about himself and about working with others, and how his family shaped his approach.
 
Rich Deakin is Director of the Low Cost Nuclear Challenge, part of UK Research and Innovation within the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy https://www.linkedin.com/in/richdeakin-consulting/
 

Passion Fuels Things | Mars Skae | Consultant Paediatrician

Mars Skae had a clear idea of what she wanted to become following the kindness of a private paediatrician who treated her for free as a young child in a poor family.
Her journey took her from Kuala Lumpur, where she grew up, to secondary school in Singapore and then to university in Sheffield.  Mars’ passion, hard work, willingness to embrace other cultures, and a miracle or two along the way finally led her to become a consultant paediatrician in Manchester.
Mars Skae is a Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mars-skae-ab3b2696/

From War Studies to Strategy | James Murphy | Chief Strategy Officer

James Murphy talks about the ups and downs of a career that has taken him from War Studies, through Journalism to Business Strategy. Having grown up near the Bovington Tank Museum, James was fascinated by humankind's capacity for either procreating or killing.  He went to Kings College London to read War Studies, but recognised the front line was not for him.
Instead, he chose a different front line - that of journalism which took him into some challenging situations.  James was impatient to develop and progress and this led to a number of highs in his career, including at BAE Systems, and a major low, which James discusses with typical candour and positivity.
James is the Chief Strategy Officer at the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory.  For more information see - www.linkedin.com/in/james-murphy-7194753

Equality and Diversity | Olivia Thompson | Head of Skills and Development

Olivia (Liv) Thompson talks about the twists and turns of her career in the nuclear industry. After gaining work experience at a chemical company in West Cumbria she decided to go to university and from there she joined BNFL.
Liv talks about her job at Sellafield as a young woman and how her experiences led her to become one of the founding members of Women in Nuclear.  Passionate about her own personal development, Liv has made a habit of volunteering. She completed her Diploma in HR Management while on maternity leave.
Liv is the Head of Skills and Development at the National Nuclear Laboratory.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-r-thompson/

Specialists are Generalists | Paul Nevitt | Technical Director

Paul Nevitt talks about his career from studying chemistry at Cardiff University to his work in different parts of the nuclear industry and with government.
Paul has always sought to learn from others and broaden his horizons by stretching himself and creating new opportunities.  He started his career working at AWE Aldermaston as a materials scientist, moving to Rolls-Royce and then to the National Nuclear Laboratory.  From 2016 to 2019 he was part of the Nuclear Innovation Research Office working in the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Paul Nevitt is Technical Director of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme; part of the government’s Nuclear Innovation Programme. www.linkedin.com/in/paul-nevitt-29aab942

Pushing Through the Fear | Debra Green | CEO Redeeming Our Communities

Debra Green OBE shares her journey from school in Bromley and Manchester to leading the charity Redeeming Our Communities (ROC) and her passion to bring people together around a common cause.
Debra to studied English and Drama at University and then went into sales, teaching, and church leadership; becoming the first female church leader at Ivy Manchester. She launched ROC in 2004 aiming to bring about community transformation by creating strategic partnerships between statutory agencies, volunteer groups and churches.
Debra Green is a regular speaker at events and conferences. She received an OBE in 2012 in recognition of services to community cohesion. For more information see: roc.uk.com

Advertising Obsessed | Victoria Heron | Marketing Communications

Victoria Heron talks about her career journey in marketing communications and the lessons she has learned on the way. Fascinated by advertising from an early age, Victoria went to Aberystwyth Univeristy to study Marketing.
What followed is a fascinating adventure that has included periods working in the public and private sectors. Victoria also found time to set up her own company, Changebox Communications Ltd.
Victoria Heron is Vice President, Marketing Communications at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory. For more information see: www.linkedin.com/in/victoriajwright

Professor Andrew Sherry provides a taster of the adventure that is Are We Nearly There Yet?

Listen to what "Are We Nearly There Yet?" with Professor Andrew Sherry is all about, with some of the more humorous clips of people discussing their own adventure to discover who they are and what they are made to do.