Dr Rebecca Weston CB FREng, a highly respected leader within the UK's nuclear sector, is preparing to conclude her tenure with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group at the end of July 2026. Her departure follows more than 25 years of dedicated service across the NDA group and the wider nuclear industry, during which she held several pivotal senior leadership and executive positions.
Dr Weston's extensive career includes a significant period as Chief Operating Officer at Sellafield Ltd, where she was responsible for major nuclear operations. Her leadership was particularly crucial during the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding the site through one of its most demanding periods. David Peattie, Chief Executive of the NDA, acknowledged her lasting contribution, stating that her leadership and commitment significantly shaped important achievements for the group over two decades.
More recently, Dr Weston took on the groundbreaking role of the first Director General Warhead within the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Nuclear Organisation. In this capacity, she was instrumental in establishing the Warhead Group and led critical and complex work vital to UK defence and national security. This involved close collaboration with the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and international partners in the US and France, underscoring her influence on the nation's strategic defence capabilities.
Even as she transitions from the NDA group, Dr Weston will continue to shape the future of the UK's nuclear landscape. She remains actively involved as a Non-Executive Director at Great British Energy Nuclear and serves as a member of the ministerially-chaired Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce Implementation Panel. Her exceptional impact on the sector has been formally recognised with her appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours, specifically for her services to defence.
In her own statement, Dr Weston expressed gratitude for the privilege of working alongside colleagues over the past 25 years, noting that Sellafield and the NDA group profoundly shaped her professional life. She emphasised the importance of teamwork, collective purpose, and productive collaboration for success in the sector, a philosophy she plans to apply more widely in her next chapter. This new phase will see her working with organisations across the UK nuclear, defence, and critical infrastructure sectors, leveraging her extensive experience.