A board of directors has been appointed to British Steel following the company’s nationalisation by the UK Government.
The directors will work with our executive leadership team to shape the future of the company, ensuring we can manufacture the steel Britain needs now and for decades to come. They are:
Jon Bolton, Non-Executive Director
Jon has over 40 years’ experience in steel on both sides of the Atlantic. Following various engineering and operational roles in the UK Jon was seconded to the USA for 5 years when he was part of the leadership team that constructed and ran a mini mill in Alabama. Between 2000 and 2019 Jon led primary and secondary steel businesses in the UK and Continental Europe including what is now British Steel. He was also a Non Executive Director of Sheffield Forgemasters from 2016 to 2018.
Janet Ashdown, Non-Executive Director
Janet has significant experience of general management primarily in the process and chemicals industries, as well as environmental and sustainability matters, and has chaired corporate Remuneration Committees for more than 10 years. Janet had a 30-year executive career at BP plc until 2010, running the UK retail and commercial fuel business in her last role there. She then became chief executive of Harvest Energy, an international private equity-backed business, until 2013. Janet is currently a Non-Executive Director and remuneration committee chair at Victrex plc, a non-executive director and chair of the remuneration and corporate sustainability committees at RHI Magnesita N.V. , a non-executive director of Stolt-Nielsen Limited and Senior Independent Director of Synthomer plc.
Andrew McNaughton CBE, Non-Executive Director
Andrew is a Non-Executive Director and Board Advisor to several infrastructure and capital intensive industrial companies including Sheffield Forgemasters, Thames Water Utilities Ltd and Speedy Plc. A Chartered Civil Engineer, he was previously the CEO of Balfour Beatty Plc, the international construction and engineering organisation and Chief Operating Officer of Systra SA, the French owned global transportation engineering company. Most recently, he was an Executive Director of AWE plc, an arms-length body of MoD.
David Bond CBE, Non-Executive Director
David is an experienced industry leader having worked for BAE Systems for 39 years managing manufacturing businesses in the UK, Sweden and Australia, before leading Sheffield Forgemasters as CEO between 2018 and 2024, including through its transition to public ownership by the Ministry of Defence. David is currently the Chair of SY Energy, a partnership seeking to maximise economic investment and jobs in South Yorkshire’s clean-tech sector. David also Chairs an Advisory Board for a critical supplier to UK Defence and leads an independent review team for the mobilisation of AUKUS in Australia. He was awarded a CBE in the 2025 Honour’s list for services to the defence supply chain.
Eoin Parker, Shareholder representative non-executive director
Eoin is Director, Steel Transactions in the Department of Business and Trade, responsible for Government’s sponsorship of the steel sector. Through his career, Eoin has held positions in a number of departments across government working on domestic and international economic policy, including most recently as Director, Company Law at the Department of Business and Trade where Eoin led work on economic crime, audit and corporate reporting and where Eoin was also a non-executive director for Companies House and the Insolvency Service.
Lorna Gratton, Shareholder representative non-executive director
Lorna is a Director in UK Government Investments (UKGI), joining in October 2021. She has had a varied career both in and out of government. She is an experienced senior civil servant having been a director in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and served as Private Secretary to two Prime Ministers. Prior to this, she was a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group working primarily in utilities and financial services. She began her civil service career in the Treasury.
Kelly Jones, British Steel Ltd Chief Restructuring Officer
Kelly joined British Steel in an interim turnaround capacity in March 2026 as Chief Restructuring Officer. Prior to that she was the CEO of Octric Semiconductors, having joined the business following the MoD’s acquisition in Sept 2024. She led the carve out of this secure facility from its previous US-owned parent company, stabilised the operations and management team, and accelerated a critical development programme in support of future air platforms.
Allan Bell, British Steel Interim Chief Executive Officer
Allan is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of British Steel, appointed in April 2025 following the introduction of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act. He has spent over 15 years working in the steel sector, holding a range of leadership positions across procurement, commercial, logistics and executive management, and has extensive experience of operating within complex industrial environments.
Brian Lochead, British Steel Interim Chief Financial Officer
Brian is an experienced turnaround, change management and restructuring professional, formerly a partner at PwC, with over 30 years’ experience as both advisor and principal across a variety of sectors and geographies. Since retiring as a restructuring partner at PwC in 2018, Brian has held a number of senior Executive positions at Heylo Housing (COO), Barratt Redrow PLC (Director - Building Safety Unit) and Talk Talk Group (Interim CFO). He joined British Steel as Interim CFO in May 2026.
Further Board appointments, including the Chair of the board, will be announced in due course.
You can read more about our board of directors here.