Bath-headquartered global engineering group Rotork has appointed a former senior independent director of the Bank of England as its next chair.
Dorothy Thompson, pictured, who has wide experience on the boards of international energy businesses, joins the group as an independent non-executive director and chair designate.
She will replace current chair Martin Lamb when he steps down after nine years on Rotork’s board at the group’s annual general meeting next April.
Bath’s largest manufacturing business, Rotork manufactures flow control equipment for the global oil, gas, water and chemical industries.
Dorothy Thompson, an economist by background who started her career at American Express, is currently a non-executive director of Eaton Corporation, a leading global power management company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and of the InstaVolt group, a Hampshire-based provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
She retired as senior independent director of the Bank of England this July having been on a member of its Court since 2014.
Between 2018 and 2021 she also served as the non-executive chair of multinational oil and gas exploration company Tullow Oil and was a non-executive director of UK speciality chemicals group Johnson Matthey from 2007 to 2016.
Her executive roles have included CEO of UK renewable power business Drax from 2005 to 2017, when she was one of only a handful of female chief executives leading a FTSE-listed company.
While at Drax, she led an ambitious transformation strategy that reinvented the business from coal-fired generation to become one of Europe’s largest renewable electricity providers.
Her earlier career included roles with power generator InterGen, where she was European managing director, as well as leadership positions with PowerGen and CDC Group.
Rotork senior independent director Peter Dilnot, who led the search for a successor to Martin Lamb, said: “Dorothy brings extensive experience of leading international industrial and power businesses, and has a deep understanding of the energy transition, a key element of Rotork’s new Growth+ strategy.
“Dorothy also has a wealth of listed board experience and we are looking forward to working with her.”
Paying tribute to Martin Lamb for his time as Rotork chair, he said he had provided “excellent stewardship” and played a crucial role in the successful development of the group.
“He will be leaving a strong legacy of leadership, positive momentum and delivery for all stakeholders when he steps down next April,” he added.
Dorothy Thompson said Rotork was a world-leading business with a new growth strategy and clear purpose in enabling a sustainable future.
“I look forward to working with the board and all employees to steward the company through the next phase of its development and in helping Rotork deliver on its growth and margin ambitions,” she added.
The group, which employs about 3,200 people in 17 manufacturing plants across the world including in the UK, US, India and China, has been hit by global problems over recent years, including the impact of the pandemic.
But in a trading update to shareholders last week for the four-month period to 30 October it said action taken over the past 18 months was now paying off while it was also benefiting from the return to growth in some of its markets.
