National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has appointed Roisin Quinn as its first ever chief engineer.
It said the new role will ensure there is a significant focus on engineering at a senior level of the organisation, whilst strengthening its efforts to attract new talent.
Quinn, who is already responsible for operating the electricity control room as the ESO’s head of national control, joined National Grid as graduate in electrical engineering in 2004. She has served in a variety of roles in the meantime, including head of energy strategy and policy for the ESO, and is currently one of six female leaders in its leadership team of nine.
She is also vice chair of the board of RenewableUK and a member of the advisory board for the Energy Future Lab at Imperial College London.
“It’s an exciting time to be an engineer in the energy sector, with new, renewable sources of power connecting to the system,” said Quinn.
“It requires us to come up with new ways of working to deliver cleaner energy and that’s what engineering is all about – finding innovative solutions to help us do things better, solve problems and turn ideas into reality.”
She continued: “National Grid ESO is built on a foundation of engineering excellence and I’m incredibly proud to have been appointed chief engineer. We have a variety of different engineers, in a variety of different roles, all working to balance supply and demand second by second and deliver safe, secure and reliable electricity.
“I hope my appointment spotlights the fantastic work they do as well as encouraging the next generation of young engineers to join us and help shape the future of electricity in Great Britain.”