UK Marine Energy Council confirms 2025/26 board lineup

The Marine Energy Council (MEC) has appointed a new board for the 2025/26 term, bringing together developers, site operators, and industry experts from across the UK’s marine energy sector.

The 2025/26 MEC Board includes Chair Sue Bartlett-Reed; Eileen Linklater, Corporate Affairs Director at EMEC; Jim Conybeare-Cross, Founder Director of Tidal Technologies; John Macleod, Commercial Director at Leask Marine; Guillaume Greau, Head of Business Development at HydroQuest; Alejandro Marques, CEO of Magallanes Renovables; and Jonathan Hodges, Managing Director of Wave Energy Scotland.

The board also includes Richard Parkinson, Managing Director of Inyanga Marine; Anders Jansson, Head of Business Development at CorPower Ocean; Andrew Smith, Partner at Greenbackers; Professor Henry Jeffrey, Head of Policy and Innovation at the University of Edinburgh; and Dr Stephen Wyatt, Director of Strategy and Emerging Technology at ORE Catapult.

“We are at a critical moment in the UK’s marine energy journey. We can harness the potential of our waves and tides with UK supply chains and play a key role in delivering net zero,” said Chair Sue Bartlett-Reed.

“With record levels of contracted tidal stream capacity and growing international momentum in wave energy, the decisions we take now will determine whether the UK can lead this expanding global export market. Our new Board is committed to making sure marine energy is part of the national conversation and will advocate for the policies and support needed to realise our full potential. I thank each Board member for stepping up to this challenge.” 

Tidal Technologies Limited (TTL) joins the board for the first time and will be represented by Founder Director Jim Conybeare-Cross. The company plans to install a 2 MW vertical-axis tidal stream turbine in 2026 at the Morlais site. A 30 MW project is targeted for 2028, with larger arrays under consideration for 2029 and beyond.

“The UK has a rich tidal stream resource which can make a significant contribution to the energy mix. Our ambition at TTL is to develop gigawatt scale sites in large areas of medium energy tides around the UK coast and export our technology globally. We strongly support the MEC’s efforts to position the UK as a global leader in marine energy, and I look forward to contributing to that mission as a member of the Board,” said Conybeare-Cross.

In May, the UK formed a new Marine Energy Task Force as a strategic move to unlock the potential of tidal and wave technologies. The task force’s findings will be published by MEC and presented to the government to inform future policy and funding support.