Several people within the energy and utilities sector have been honoured in the 2019 New Year Honours list.
David Newborough, former director of HR at Eon, was among those awarded an OBE for services to skills in the energy and utility sector.
Newborough spent more than 40 years working for Eon and its predecessor organisations.
After joining East Midlands Electricity in 1978 he went on to work for Powergen and eventually Eon in 2003.
Chris Norbury replaced Newborough as HR director of Eon UK in January 2018.
Newborough said: “Having spent many years committed to driving forward the skills agenda at Eon, I was both proud and humbled to be recognised with an OBE in the New Year Honour’s list for services to skills in the energy and utility sector.
“I consider this to be a team effort, reflecting Eon’s drive and ambition in championing the skills agenda, while improving talent and diversity for its employees.”
Eon’s chief executive Michael Lewis added: “In his 40 years at Eon Dave has dedicated himself to increasing diversity, widening skills and recruiting new people into a fast-changing sector and this honour is just reward for his commitment over that time.
“Throughout his career Dave has had a passion for skills and learning and investing in the next generation of young people coming into the energy industry – he has left a legacy to the industry and he should be incredibly proud of what he has achieved and what we will go on to achieve in the future.”
Other people in the sector who have been honoured include Chandra Mohan Trikha, lately director of distribution performance at SSE, for services to the energy industry, who was awarded an MBE.
Trikha came to the UK to study in 1972 and in 1974 joined the then Southern Electricity Board.
His achievements at Southern Electric and Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) include work to progress engineering improvement to strengthen network resilience following privatisation of the energy industry.
More recently they include embedding innovation and performance improvements that helped result in a 50 per cent reduction in the length of customer supply interruptions between 2005 to 2017.
SSEN managing director, Colin Nicol, who worked with Trikha until his retirement in 2017 said: “This recognition for Chandra is well deserved.
“In addition to the sterling work he has undertaken in his local community, he was an integral part of the team here at SSEN for over 40 years, working tirelessly to pursue innovative solutions and help develop the safe, sustainable and resilient electricity networks that we all rely on today.”
Northern Powergrid’s Rodney William Gardner, head of network operations, was awarded an OBE for services to energy resilience.
Others who have been honoured include:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Ming Wai Kong, senior lawyer, government legal department. For services to energy policy.
- Anne Obey, director of financial reporting, Nationwide Building Society. For services to financial reporting and sustainable energy.
- Cordelia O’Hara, lately director, UK system operator, National Grid. For services to the energy industry.
Member of the Order of the British Empire
- John Handley Blowes for services to renewable energy and the community in Lancaster.
Medallist of the Order of the British Empire
- Jeremy Crowe finance business partner, department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. For services to business, trade and the energy industry.