Reappointment of the Utility Regulator Board Chair

Dr Bill Emery has been reappointed as Chair of the Board of the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) for a period of five years, effective from 1 July 2018.

This reappointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s Code of Practice. 

Notes to editors: 

1.  The Utility Regulator is the non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the electricity and gas industries as well as water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland.  It serves to protect the interests of consumers with regard to both price and quality of service.

2.  Dr Bill Emery joined the Utility Regulator as its non-executive chairman on 1 July 2012.

3.  Dr Emery is a civil engineer with a PhD in public health engineering who worked on major capital works and corporate planning before becoming a regulator in 1990. He was chief executive of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways for six years, retiring in June 2011. Prior to working at ORR, he worked in senior positions in the Office of Water Services (Ofwat) for 15 years.

4.  As well as being chairman of the Utility Regulator, Bill is also currently non-executive chair of the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE), a cross sectoral group of regulators, regulated enterprises and academics with the aim of helping improve regulation across Europe. Mr Emery also holds another public appointment as Chairman of the Single Electricity Market Committee, for which he is remunerated at £9,712 per annum. He has also advised several British companies on regulation. Bill has been a magistrate on the Sheffield bench for over 30 years.

5.  The Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.  Mr Emery has declared that he has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.

6.  The position attracts an annual remuneration of £34,068.

7.  The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department's internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department's Privacy Policy is available on our website.

8.   Media enquiries should be addressed to the Department of Finance Press Office on Tel: 028 9081 6724 or email dof.pressoffice@finance-ni.gov.uk. Follow us on Twitter @dptfinance

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