Nick Elliott CB MBE

Chief Executive Officer

Nick Elliott joined AWE as Chief Executive Officer in March 2024.

Nick is an experienced senior business leader, having led major delivery organisations in defence, infrastructure, and government – including the UK Vaccine Taskforce where he was Director General during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nick began a distinguished career in defence serving in the Royal Engineers. In subsequent senior business roles, he has been responsible for delivering some of the biggest rail infrastructure projects in the UK. He was also Deputy CEO of Defence Equipment & Support, the professional acquisition and support organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence.

Nick has been a non-executive director on the Board of the Submarine Delivery Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. He is currently a non-executive director of Helsing Ltd, a software and Artificial Intelligence company.

He is a serving member of the Staff Corps, and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, the Chartered Management Institute, and the Institute of Royal Engineers.

Latest news

AWE Re‑accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

We’re proud to share that AWE has been successfully re‑accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, marking over twenty years of partnership in supporting the growth and professionalism of our materials and chemical scientists.

A laboratory setting showing a person wearing protective gloves and eyewear operating a microscope. The individual is adjusting a slide on the microscope stage. Test tubes in a rack are visible beside the microscope, illuminated by blue laboratory lighting.

AWE supports major expansion of nuclear doctoral training

AWE is supporting an expansion of UK nuclear doctoral training through a new suite of Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs), strengthening the skills pipeline essential to delivering our mission, now and in the future, and sustaining national nuclear capability as part of the wider defence enterprise.

Neurodiversity in the workplace: From awareness to action

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 (16–20 March) encourages organisations to move beyond awareness and take meaningful steps to support neurodivergent colleagues.