Senior Leadership Team

Andrew Hockey

Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Hockey has four decades of experience, latterly having held numerous directorships and CEO roles across the energy sector.

Andrew has worked in the UK and internationally with European majors Petrofina and ENI and with US and UK independents Triton, Monument and Lasmo.

Until the end of 2021 Andrew was a Non-Executive Director at UK oil and gas exploration and production company, Fairfield Energy, which he co-founded in 2005 and helped to transition to a decommissioning company in 2016.

Most recently Andrew was CEO at IOG plc, a low carbon footprint gas developer and operator in the UK Southern North Sea.

Andrew was attracted to the ECITB by the challenge of ensuring the UK has an engineering workforce capable of delivering the energy transition and ultimately delivering Net Zero, which will have to be built.

He is a Non-Executive Director at Chariot, where he was instrumental in the board’s decision to change strategy from being an oil and gas explorer into a company pursuing transitional gas, power and green hydrogen projects across Africa.

Chris Mann

Director of Learning and Assurance

Chris, now Director of Learning and Assurance at the ECITB, began his career as an apprentice and went on to serve for 25 years in the Royal Navy as an aircraft engineer . A significant part of his naval career was dedicated to training and developing aircraft engineers, technicians, and mechanics, shaping his passion for education and skills development.

In 2008, Chris joined the ECITB, where he spent a decade in the Research and Product Development team, eventually leading it before heading up the skills fore sighting function. He later moved to the senior leadership team at EAL, a regulated awarding body for the engineering and manufacturing sectors.

In 2020, Chris took planned semi-retirement, spending over two years exploring the English waterways with his wife on a newly built fifty-eight-foot narrowboat he had commissioned prior to the Covid epidemic. Despite enjoying the tranquillity of canal life and the rich engineering heritage surrounding him, Chris found himself missing the sense of purpose and fulfilment that comes from working in education and engineering — leading him back to the ECITB.

David Nash

Director of Strategy and Policy

David Nash is Director of Strategy and Policy at the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB). He is responsible for strategy, policy development, communications and strategic engagement.

He also oversees the ECITB’s research and impact practice.

Prior to joining the ECITB, David worked as a senior policy advisor at the Federation of Small Businesses where he led on labour markets, infrastructure and regional development, a Research Fellow at the IPPR and in local government.

David has an MA in Contemporary European Politics and a BA Hons in French and History.

He is also Chair of Trustees for Torfaen Leisure Trust.

Julia Chippendale

Director of Funding and Partnerships

Julia has spent most of her career in skills and skills development and brings a great breadth of experience to the role. Most recently, she was the Growth Director at We Are Group.

This private equity-backed tech-for-good business helps reduce digital and financial exclusion by delivering training, advice and guidance services that empower people to live better lives. Julia was responsible for business development and bid functions, which secured funding to grow the business and reach more individuals to ensure no-one is left behind.

She is currently a member of Council at Bishop Grosseteste University. Now more than 160 years old, this historic and inclusive institution in Lincoln offers undergraduate, postgraduate, apprenticeships and work-based foundation degree courses.

She spent five years at Capita in a variety of roles including Market Development Director. Before this, she was Group Development Director at learndirect and Managing Director of the qualifications awarding body, EAL Awards.  EAL Awards offers engineering, manufacturing and building services qualifications.

Maria Papadopoulou

Director of Legal and Governance

Maria Papadopoulou has a legal background with a Master of Laws in Commercial and Corporate Law. Prior to joining the ECITB Maria worked as an Operations & Compliance Consultant at a Management & Executive Search company.

Maria joined the ECITB in 2016 and became Board Secretary and a member of the Senior Leadership team in 2019.

Maria’s team provides core support services and controls in governance and board secretariat, levy governance, procurement compliance, legal issues, contractual relations, data protection, risk management and project governance.

Matt Knights

Director of Regional Operations

Matt, now Director of Regional Operations has over two decades of experience across diverse sectors, Matt brings a wealth of expertise in operational management, workforce development and leadership.

Starting his career as a Royal Engineer from 1999 to 2004, Matt honed his skills in discipline, problem-solving, and leadership. He later transitioned into the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), where he spent eight years focusing on the operational delivery of offender rehabilitation programs and staff training. His work in this area underscored his commitment to transforming lives and helping individuals rebuild their futures.

In pursuit of his passion for workforce development, Matt joined the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), leading a project to transition unemployed individuals and service leavers with the correct ethos, ability and skills into the energy sector. His leadership in this initiative paved the way for his next career move into the ECITB.

Since joining ECITB, Matt has held various key roles over the past 10 years, including Account Manager and Senior Account Manager. His dedication to ensuring the fair and efficient use of industry levies to fund critical training initiatives has been a cornerstone of his work. As Director of Regional Operations, Matt leads a talented team, ensuring that regional operations run smoothly while supporting the broader goals of workforce development in the engineering construction industry.

Rory Blyth

Director of Finance and Business Services

Rory is a Chartered Accountant with a career in PwC and major retail and hospitality FTSE 100s. He is also Treasurer on the board of Costa Coffee’s corporate charity, the Costa Foundation.

Rory leads the Finance and Business Services directorate which provides core support services and controls across finance and accounts, investment management, human resources, information technology, head office infrastructure and commercial development in the UK and across South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.