Bill Coley arrived at British Energy as an independent non-executive director in 2003, right at the peak of the nuclear generator’s troubles. He and his fellow directors saw the company through a drawn-out restructuring and, in March last year, three months after the nuclear generator had relisted on the Stock Exchange, the time was right for a seasoned nuclear industry expert to take over as chief executive.
Mr Coley’s pedigree comes from 40 years at Duke Power, in the United States, which culminated in a six-year spell as group president, from 1997, a job he took after he oversaw Duke’s merger with PanEnergy to create Duke Energy.
Born in North Carolina, he had an early aptitude for all things engineering and technical. He sought a job at the local power utility, Duke, on graduating and stayed with it, rapidly moving up the management ladder. He married his teenage sweetheart, Jane, the same year.
Mr Coley, 63, is a big golf fan and is enjoying the courses Britain has to offer. In spite of his one-year rolling contract, he shows few signs of planning to retire.