Ruth Thompson OBE - Deputy Chairman

Ruth Thompson  holds a range of non-executive director posts, including  Narec - the National Renewable Energy Centre, NHS NE Strategic Health Authority, and Northumbria University. She is Chair of NEA (National Energy Action), a charity addressing fuel poverty.

Ruth is a former Group Corporate Affairs Director of National Grid plc, which included dealing with UK and EU public policy and communications across the UK and USA. Having initially qualified and practiced as a solicitor, she worked in local government and then moved to the energy industry where she held a number of national and regional senior management roles, both strategic and operational. She was a Director with Transco plc, pivotal in the transformation of the UK gas industry, and as Director of its northern networks she remains the only woman to have led gas distribution networks in Great Britain.

She is a graduate in law from both Durham and Northumbria Universities holding a Master’s degree in Commercial law, and post graduate Diploma in Accountancy and Finance. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

She has served, representing business, on a number of Boards and Councils. She chaired and was instrumental in setting up the North East Employer’s Coalition, which developed and supported initiatives to offer employment and opportunities to long term unemployed people. She was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to New Deal. 

She chairs the Agency’s Corporate Resources Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee and Director with Enterprise Development North East Ltd and serves on the north east  Science and Industry Council. 

E-mail Ruth at onesecretariat@onenortheast.co.uk