The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has today announced what is thought to be one of the first non-executive director job share positions on a UK board.

The position is being shared by Fiona Mettam and Vicky Dawe, who also job share the role of Director of Energy Development and Resilience at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The post holders are a representative of the Secretary of State for BEIS, the NSTA’s sole shareholder, as an NSTA board director.

The Secretary of State gave approval to amend the NSTA’s Articles of Association to allow the appointment of an additional ‘alternate director’ on the NSTA board. It is believed to be the first time this has happened for a body such as the NSTA across all government departments.

Directors are responsible for setting the NSTA’s strategic direction, policies and priorities.

Chaired by Tim Eggar, the NSTA board met eight times in 2021-22, and seven board meetings are scheduled for 2022-23. Directors also attend a number of other meetings with stakeholders.

Mr Eggar said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s support in making this innovative job share possible and have asked BEIS to consider a change to the Companies Act, which would avoid the need to amend our Articles of Association in the future.

“Being able to benefit from the outstanding skills and experience of both Fiona and Vicky is of great value to the NSTA at a critical time for the energy sector and society. The NSTA is doing everything it can to bolster the UK’s energy security while pushing the oil and gas industry to meet and surpass emissions reduction targets agreed in the North Sea Transition Deal.”

Speaking on behalf of herself and her job-share partner, Fiona Mettam said: “The appointment of Vicky and myself to this non-executive director position is a great example of the exciting opportunities job shares can open up. We are committed to supporting the NSTA as it strives to ensure North Sea industry plays a key role in the energy transition.”

Editors’ notes:

Fiona Mettam was appointed as a director of the NSTA on 3 November 2021.

The board and the Secretary of State (as sole shareholder) have approved amended Articles of Association, which enable both Fiona Mettam and Vicky Dawe to represent the Secretary of State for BEIS as an NSTA board director

Vicky Dawe was appointed as a director on 11 July 2022 – in advance of today’s (14 July) board meeting.

We will lay our annual report and accounts in Parliament today.