Archives: Management Profile

David Nussbaum, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Contribution and experience

David holds a portfolio of Board appointments, including as Chair of Anthesis Group, of International Alert and of the Joffe Trust.  He also serves as a member of the Board (‘Council’) of Chatham House, and of the International Budget Partnership; is President of the Advisory Council of Transparency International UK; and is a member of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England.

David’s executive career included being the Chief Executive of The Elders, of WWF-UK, and of Transparency International.  He was previously Finance Director and Deputy CEO of Oxfam, and CFO of Field Group plc.  In a non-executive capacity, David has been Deputy Chair of the International Integrated Reporting Council, Deputy Chair of Shared Interest Society, a non-executive director of Low Carbon Accelerator Limited, and Chair of Traidcraft plc.

David is a chartered accountant, and has a Masters in Theology from both Cambridge and Edinburgh universities, and a Masters in Finance from London Business School.

David’s extensive experience in international development and environmental matters, in addition to his prior experience as CFO of a UK listed industrial company, is of significant value to Drax and contributes to the Board’s discussions and understanding of the perspectives of and engagement undertaken with stakeholders.

Appointment to the Board: 

August 2017

Board Committees:

  • Member of the Audit Committee
  • Member of the Nomination Committee

External appointments:

  • Anthesis Group (Chair)
  • International Alert (Chair)
  • Joffe Charitable Trust (Chair)
  • Chatham House (Member of the Board)
  • International Budget Partnership (Member of the Board)
  • Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England (Member)
  • Advisory Council of Transparency International UK (President)

Will Gardiner, Group Chief Executive Officer

Will has driven the vision and operations of the company since becoming CEO in January 2018, inspiring Drax’s transformation from a leading UK renewable energy company to global leadership in sustainable biomass with the ambition to be a global leader in carbon dioxide removals.

Sustainability considerations are at the core of everything at Drax. Will is driving Drax’s sustainability agenda, taking a thought leadership role in defining sustainability criteria for woody biomass. Working with stakeholders across the spectrum, Will is creating a purpose led company at Drax to ensure outcomes that are positive for people, nature and the climate.

In addition to being CEO of Drax, Will is a Commissioner of the Energy Transitions Commission, a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders and a member of Conservation International’s European Council.

Will joined Drax in 2015 as CFO and was appointed as CEO in January 2018. He has a wealth of experience in finance and technology, having held CFO and divisional Finance Director roles at a number of major companies, including CSR plc (acquired by Qualcomm, Inc in 2015) and Sky. He has dual US-UK citizenship and has lived and worked in the UK since 1998.

Appointment to the Board: November 2015

Matthew Rivers, Group Special Advisor

A former Corporate Affairs Director and member of the Executive Committee, Matthew has also previously been Chairman of our US business, Drax Biomass Inc., ensuring good integration between the UK and US business operations.

External appointments:

  • Member of the Board, Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP)

Previous experience:

Executive

  • Drax Group (Corporate Affairs Director and Chairman, Drax Biomass Inc.)
  • UPM (Finland) (Director – Overseas Wood & Biomass Sourcing, Director – Energy Biomass)
  • UPM Tilhill (UK) (Managing Director – for the UK’s largest private sector forest management and timber harvesting business)
  • Forestal Oriental (Uruguay) (Managing Director – responsible for plantation management and wood supply)

Non Executive

  • Chairman, Drax Biomass Inc.
  • Member of the Board, US Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA)

Qualifications:

  • (For) Hons, Forestry Aberdeen
  • B.A., Strathclyde
  • Fellow Institute of Chartered Foresters
  • Chartered Environmentalist