The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) has announced the appointment of a new chief executive.

Joining the FPS from his previous role as Executive Secretary at the Nuclear Institute, Mark Askew succeeds Susan Hancock who will retire in the summer.

For the past five years Askew has run the Nuclear Institute’s secretariat, co-ordinated membership activities and organised technical and commercial events on a national and European scale. A key function has been providing knowledge of the nuclear industry to, and building links with, government, academia, the media and service providers.

“The FPS has achieved considerable success and I’m delighted to be joining the organisation,” said Askew. “The FPS has always worked very hard for its membership and I intend to continue with that tradition.

“The most effective representation comes from the whole of the sector working together. Achieving this will mean increasing membership, especially in Ireland. With increased numbers, we can establish an even stronger industry presence, promote successes and address challenges and issues to best effect. We will need to develop further our communication to the wider community in which we operate.

“I hope to encourage the sharing of best practice between member companies and to extend the already successful training offered by the FPS into other operational areas.”

FPS president David Hatherell added: “These are exciting times for the FPS. Mark brings to the Federation a vibrant approach and a raft of new ideas. His understated competence, his experience of combining two disparate organisations in the nuclear industry and his proven ability to rapidly gain a technical knowledge of a complex industry with no previous knowledge of it will prove invaluable in the next phase of growth for the FPS.”