Jonathan Smith

Executive Director and General Counsel

Jonathan is responsible for leading the Legal function in AWE, which comprises the company’s ethics, legal, data protection and company secretariat teams. Together, these teams provide advice to AWE on the protection of its rights and conformance with its legal and regulatory obligations.

With more than 25 years’ experience as an in-house lawyer, Jonathan has operated in global enterprises in the business services, information technology and professional services sectors.

Jonathan graduated from Clare College, Cambridge with a degree in law, qualifying as a solicitor at the international law firm DWF before joining intellectual property specialist law firm Dallas Brett.

After working at US Fortune 500 vehicle fleet and property management business, PHH, Jonathan joined ICL, a business of the Japanese head-quartered global technology company, Fujitsu. His roles there included head of the intellectual property function of Fujitsu Services, the legal director for Fujitsu’s European services businesses and finally general counsel for its UK and Ireland product and services operations. After leaving Fujitsu, Jonathan acted as general counsel to the managed legal services business of the international law firm, Berwin Leighton Paisner, and worked with the consultancy to in-house lawyers, LBC Wise Counsel.

After resuming his in-house career at global network communications company, Metaswitch Networks, Jonathan joined AWE as General Counsel and Company Secretary in 2016. During his time at AWE, Jonathan established the company’s first internal legal team, integrated its audit and assurance programme and played a critical role in AWE’s move into the public sector following termination of the GoCo arrangements in 2021.

Named in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 in 2008, Jonathan has also been elected as a lifetime fellow of the Society for Computers and Law. He writes on legal functional management and acts as a mentor to in-house lawyers.

Jonathan lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two children. Aside from family commitments, he is a keen singer and gardener.

Latest news

What’s it like being on a Business Administration apprenticeship?

My name is Sophie and I am a Business Administration Apprentice. I chose AWE because it seemed like a reliable company to work for with many career paths I could venture down. I chose the business administration apprenticeship because it is more suited to my skills and, as well as getting a qualification, I get […]

Press Releases

6 Mar 2025

AWE Aldermaston site returns to routine regulatory attention for safety

AWE welcomes today’s (6 March) announcement by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) that AWE’s Aldermaston site has been returned to routine regulatory attention for safety. This move acknowledges the significant and sustained safety improvements and efforts of AWE teams over more than a decade to improve the safety of its operations and to bring […]

Celebrating Professor Jackie Akhavan on International Women’s Day

To commemorate this year's International Women's Day on March 8, we pay tribute to Professor Jackie Akhavan, for her remarkable and steadfast contribution to AWE’s mission and the wider nuclear enterprise over the past three decades.