About the BHA

Kate Gilmartin – CEO

Kate is a long-time campaigner and supporter of the hydropower industry, having voluntarily managed the Micro Hydro Association and coordinated the Community Hydro Forum for more than 10 years.

With a BSc in Fuel & Energy and an MSc in Renewable Energy, Kate has experience and expertise across all renewable energy technologies and a passion for delivering net zero. Kate believes that net zero is of strategic importance not only in terms of CO₂ savings and climate change mitigation but also with the increased urgency around the UK’s energy security, added to the pressing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of energy and alleviate the pressure of current price shocks.

Kate believes the UK is well placed to achieve its ambition for net zero and total energy security in which hydropower, tidal range and pumped storage hydro will all play a large part.

Mary Drury – Chair

Mary is a Fellow of the IMechE and a senior energy leader with over 30 years’ experience in the power and utilities sector. A long-standing advocate for hydropower, she is passionate about its role in delivering a resilient, affordable and net-zero energy system. She has worked across the industry as an operator, client, consultant and contractor, and has served on multiple boards of directors.

During her 22 years at RWE, Mary led the expansion of the RWE UK hydropower fleet to its current 24 stations and oversaw their ongoing operation and maintenance. She also served as Chair of the BHA, working closely with government and regulators to help shape the UK policy framework for hydropower.

Following a period operating biomass and gas plants in the Netherlands, she undertook a strategic assignment with RWE to assess the viability of pumped storage hydropower investments.

Having founded her own business, Drumtochty Consulting Ltd, Mary now focuses on using her experience, insight and industry network to support projects, organisations and investors in delivering hydropower and renewable energy solutions that accelerate the energy transition.

Dr Jamie Needle – Vice-Chairman

Jamie works as Development Manager for Derwent Hydro, having joined in 2005. He is primarily responsible for acquiring new sites for development, procuring permissions and consents, and arranging finance. Derwent Hydro has been actively involved in developing and operating small UK hydro since the 1980s and has been a supporter of the BHA and its predecessor for around 22 years.

Most recently the company has developed and commissioned two new 500 kW high head systems for its long-term generating portfolio. Jamie has gained a wide understanding of regulatory matters applicable to UK hydro and remains keen to see powers applied appropriately for the benefit of the local and global environment. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys music, football, living in Yorkshire and sharing the joys of hydro with his two sons.

Charles Crewdson OBE

Charles spent 25 years in the Army, including commanding his Regiment, 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s). During his service, he deployed on a number of operations, including in the Middle East, the Balkans and Africa. In 2009, after a spell at Manchester Business School, he became the Executive Chairman of Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd. He founded Gilkes Energy in 2010, which now develops, funds, builds and operates hydro schemes across the UK.

Charles sits on a number of local business forums. Elsewhere he is a Trustee of the Lakeland Arts Trust and he also has a keen interest in forestry – currently conducting some large-scale trials on varying eucalyptus species, planted in Wales, for biomass.

Oliver Paish

Oliver Paish is a mechanical and hydraulic engineer with 30 years’ professional experience in the research, design and implementation of best-practice hydropower systems, both in the UK and in less developed countries.

After 13 years at the international energy consulting firm IT Power, he founded Derwent Hydro Developments as a sister company to the hydropower operator Derwent Hydroelectric Power Ltd., in order to focus on the design, consenting and implementation of small-scale hydro schemes across the UK.

Since then, he has completed detailed scheme designs, project feasibility and regulatory consents for more than 80 UK hydro projects, from 2 kW to 300 kW, and from 1.2 m to 200 m head, including fish and eel passage solutions. He authored the BHA’s online Mini-Hydro Guide (2012) and has been a member of the BHA’s Working Group with the Environment Agency since its inception in 2003, collaborating on their Good Practice Guide for Run-of-River Hydropower, released in 2009 and revised in 2014.

Keith Moorcroft

Keith is a chartered engineer and an enthusiastic newcomer to hydropower. His 22 years in electricity generation covers nuclear, biomass, gas-fired and coal-fired technology in assets ranging from 5 MW to 2,000 MW capacity. Keith is currently Head of Hydro UK Operations & Maintenance for RWE Generation. He lives in Oxford and enjoys cycling and music.

Kieron Hanson

Kieron is Founder and Director of Hydroplan UK, which specialises in the consenting, design and construction of small to medium sized hydro projects. Kieron is a hydraulic/mechanical engineer and the early part of his career was spent as a turbine designer.  He is former Chairman and former CEO of the BHA.

Martin Foster

Martin is a founder member and Chairman of Alba Energy, a Scottish group of hydro owners. He has worked in the hydro industry for over 30 years, commissioning his first scheme on the family farm with his father in 1986. Since then, he has built and owns two further schemes on the farm and others ranging from 100 KW to 2 MW on the West Coast of Scotland, including a community-owned hydro scheme in Mid Argyll.

He is Director and one of the owners of CRF Hydro Power and Garbhaig Hydro Power. He is an engineer with a wealth of experience and expertise in the hydro industry and also has a forestry degree from the National School of Forestry at Newton Rigg.

Joanna Gray

Joanna is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over twenty years’ experience in project and programme management with Jacobs. The majority of that time has been in Water and Environment, specialising in flood risk management, taking projects through all stages from feasibility, appraisal, stakeholder engagement, design and construction, as project engineer, project manager and framework manager, before moving into Major Programmes.

Joanna is currently leading an industrial research project into the development of an innovative very low head tidal turbine, to be more efficient and environmentally acceptable, and supporting the promotion of the tidal range industry in the UK and beyond.

“As an engineer at heart I love problem solving at any level and keen to ensure diversity of thought in everything we do.

John Lithgow

John started his working life at Ferrari and Jaguar, having graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Edinburgh. He moved back to Scotland in 2002 to help his brother James with the running of the family businesses. It was during this time that he started to explore the potential of redeveloping the family’s standalone 25 kW scheme on the Isle of Jura into what would become a dam-fed 2 MW installation.

Remote from the grid, on a scarcely populated island, this project was always going to be challenging. With very limited funds, there was little choice but to undertake all aspects of this project’s scoping by himself and learn ‘on the job’. After six years of work, including laying out the concept design, negotiating an Ofgem derogation for the grid connection, writing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and planning submission, and raising the non-recourse financing, construction finally commenced.

Despite lots going wrong during the build (and since), he has ended up with one of the most productive small-scale hydro schemes in the UK. The knowledge gained during this project enabled John to develop three further schemes on the mainland, bringing the family’s hydro installed capacity to 5 MW.

Siân Phillips

Siân has over 18 years of project development and comprehensive environmental engineering consultancy experience and is currently leading on the development of electrical generation projects for National Trust’s renewable energy programme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Siân provides direction and management for the National Trust’s operational renewable fleet.

Skills include turn-key services, from feasibility to coordinating large multidisciplinary teams and management of more than 60 renewable energy projects, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) requiring planning consent and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as well as construction management to asset operation.

Kirsty Nurse

Kirsty is a partner in the Energy and Finance Team at CMS in Edinburgh, and specialises in advising on energy projects, with particular transactional experience in renewable and alternative energy including hydro, wind, solar and energy storage.

Kirsty is qualified in Scotland and England & Wales and has worked in the Energy Sector for over 16 years. She acts for a variety of clients including lenders, developers, contractors, purchasers, and investors and has specific expertise in drafting and reviewing project contracts such as grid connection; supply, EPC, BOP and O&M Contracts; PPAs and CfD; Management and Consultancy Agreements.

Tom Clegg

Tom is a Mechanical Engineer with over fifteen years of experience in the UK hydropower sector. Working initially in run of river hydropower during the feed in tariff period, Tom was involved in projects from conception to commissioning and through to operational support. Tom is Head of Hydropower for Fichtner Consulting Engineers in the UK and Ireland. He is currently providing technical support and project management services on a number of pumped storage hydropower projects in development in the UK.

Tom holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with Renewable Energy from the University of Edinburgh, is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and is a certified Functional Safety Engineer (SIS) with TÜV Rheinland.

Alex Reading

Alex was one of the first employees at Green Highland Renewables (GHR) and has been instrumental in growing the business into one of the UK’s leading hydropower developers. Within GHR, Alex is responsible for the appraisal and development of GHR’s portfolio of hydro schemes.

Prior to joining GHR, Alex served for seven years as an Infantry Officer in the Black Watch, now the 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. During his time in the British Army, he served in Germany, Iraq and Northern Ireland. He holds an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Newcastle University.

Kate Gilmartin – CEO

Kate is a long-time campaigner and supporter of the hydropower industry, having voluntarily managed the Micro Hydro Association and coordinated the Community Hydro Forum for more than 10 years.

With a BSc in Fuel & Energy and an MSc in Renewable Energy, Kate has experience and expertise across all renewable energy technologies and a passion for delivering net zero. Kate believes that net zero is of strategic importance not only in terms of CO₂ savings and climate change mitigation but also with the increased urgency around the UK’s energy security, added to the pressing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of energy and alleviate the pressure of current price shocks.

Kate believes the UK is well placed to achieve its ambition for net zero and total energy security in which hydropower, tidal range and pumped storage hydro will all play a large part.

Matt Joyce – Finance & Systems Lead

Having worked in practice for Plummer Parsons Chartered Accountants and qualifying in Professional Accounting (MAAT)  (ATT) and Business and Personal Finance, undertaking preparation of financial and management accounts, for partnerships and companies, along with auditing for leading consumer brand companies, Matt joined BHA in January 2019 as Finance & Systems Lead.

Lesley Trigell – Marketing & Comms Lead

With over 25 years of experience in senior roles within people management, enhancing operational efficiencies, strategic planning and leadership capabilities, aiming to drive sustainable business growth and brand excellence. Lesley joined BHA in 2013.

Previously having held positions with Gillette,  Xerox and Thermo Fisher as Operations Director, Head of Contact Centre , Marketing and Workflow Management, I have also worked as a freelance Commercial Operations & Customer Experience Consultant.

William Gallimore – Policy and Advocacy Lead

Will joined us last year as our Policy and Advocacy Lead. Alongside helping design the new BHA website and administering our Social Media channels, Will also advocates BHA policy asks to government, as well as monitoring and reaching out to key political figures. When he is not representing the BHA at industry and political events, Will is replying to government consultations or crafting briefings for our members on specific government policies such as the Capacity Market.

Robin Peters – Tidal Range Lead

Robin Peters is a senior energy sector executive with extensive experience in renewable energy and infrastructure project management in the UK and internationally. He has a strong track record in leading multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams and delivering large-scale energy projects. Robin is adept at managing complex projects, including renewable energy developments, HVDC interconnectors, and offshore wind farms, with a focus on strategic planning, risk assessment, and economic feasibility.

His recent roles include Project Director at Prosperity Energy, overseeing a portfolio of renewable projects in wind, solar, and hydrogen, and Program Manager for the Atomic Energy Authority, where he developed a business case for future fusion energy technologies. He also served as Development Manager for NeuConnect HVDC, where he managed stakeholder relations and technical project services. Prior to this, Robin held senior project management positions at Vattenfall, Ørsted, and Fluor, where he directed the development, construction, and commissioning of major offshore wind projects, often exceeding project targets on time, budget, and safety.

Robin’s background includes a BEng in Electrical Engineering and advanced training in leadership, strategy, and project management from Cranfield Business School. Chartered Electrical Engineer and member of the IET. Based currently near Reading and looking to move to Norfolk shortly with his wife and two daughters. Interests include international travel, multiple sports – running, cycling, golf.’