The Drax Group has announced its current chief executive, Dorothy Thompson is stepping down at the end of the year and will be replaced by Will Gardiner.
Gardiner joined Drax as group chief financial officer and a member of the group board in November 2015.
He is currently responsible for finance, strategy and IT systems.
Before joining Drax, Gardiner was the chief financial officer at the international semiconductor business, CSR plc.
According to a company statement, the board will now start the process to appoint a new group chief financial officer, which may include the option to make an appointment on an interim basis.
Gardiner said he was “thrilled” to be appointed as chief executive.
“The changes we are seeing in the UK energy sector are unprecedented and we have an opportunity to thrive while doing the right thing for the UK energy market,” he said.
“Drax’s people have demonstrated repeatedly their ability to deliver transformational change and I’m delighted to be working with them to build on Dorothy’s strong legacy.”
Drax’s chairman, Philip Cox, said the appointment of Gardiner is a “natural progression” after working with Thompson for the last two years.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Dorothy for her enormous contribution to Drax,” said Cox.
“She has transformed the business during her tenure and leaves the group in a strong position with a clear strategy that lays the foundations for further success in a changing energy sector.”