Professor Penelope Endersby unveiled as Met Office chief executive

Professor Penelope Endersby has been named as the UK Met Office’s new chief executive with effect from December 1, 2018. Professor Endersby joins the Met Office from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), where she led the Cyber and Information Systems Division and was acting chief technical officer, as well as a non-exec director of Ploughshare Innovations, the Ministry of Defense’s (MOD) technology transfer organization. As the Met Office’s first female chief executive, Endersby will lead the organization as it looks to embrace new technologies and developments in science to stay at the forefront of weather and climate science. Rob Woodward, chair of the Met Office, said, “I am delighted that Penny will be joining the Met Office as its new chief executive. We are very much looking forward to working with her as we build on the outstanding reputation of the Met Office and continue the important transformation that will enable the Met Office to remain a world-class organization.” Endersby added, “I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to lead the Met Office, which is an organization I have long admired. Throughout my career, my leadership ethos centers on creating the conditions wherein scientists and scientific excellence can thrive, while maintaining a keen focus on business delivery to customers. Delivering world-class science for weather and climate prediction is more critical to our well-being now than ever before and I look forward immensely to working with such a talented workforce.” The current interim chief executive, Nick Jobling, will revert to his previous post as chief finance officer.