Thomas to Chair RSSB
24 Oct 2008
Thomas to Chair RSSBPaul Thomas CB has been appointed chairman of the Rail Safety and Standards Board. Mr Thomas was a career naval officer reaching the rank of Rear Admiral. He joined the Royal Navy in 1963 and later studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College, gaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and subsequently an MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology. After serving aboard the submarine fleet he fulfilled shore-based roles as Assistant Director Reactor Safety, Superintendent VULCAN Naval Reactor Test Establishment Dounreay, Chairman Naval Nuclear Technical Safety Panel, Director Nuclear Propulsion, Captain Royal Naval Engineering College and Chief Strategic Systems Executive. Upon retiring from the Royal Navy in 1998 Thomas joined AEA Technology, Nuclear Engineering where he held the positions of Director Engineering Projects and Director Strategic Development. He moved to British Nuclear Fuels plc in 2001 as Director Environment, Health, Safety and Quality. In 2005 he joined the Board of RSSB Ltd as a non-executive Director and became a Trustee of EDT in 2006. He was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct in 1980 and the US Legion of Merit in 1998. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1998. Paul Thomas lists his interests as cycling, walking and ballooning. Says Len Porter, Chief Executive of RSSB, ‘Paul Thomas brings a wealth of experience to the role particularly in the areas of risk management and system safety. I look forward to working with him to continue to deliver up-to-date information and effective solutions and share best practice to meet the demands of an ever-changing rail industry.’