Sam Laidlaw

Chairman

Sam has been a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group during the coalition government, the Senior Director for the Department of Transport and a non-executive director of both HSBC Holdings plc and Hanson plc.

He has more than 40 years’ experience across the energy sector and has held several senior roles including Chief Executive Officer of both Enterprise Oil plc and Centrica plc, and as the Founder and Executive Chairman of Neptune Energy Group Holdings Ltd, an international oil and gas exploration and production company. He is the senior non-executive director of Rio Tinto plc and Chairman of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB).

Sam has extensive leadership experience in long-term capital investment industries in which safety, sustainability and stakeholder management are critical.

Latest news

How robots keep us safe in the workplace

How robots keep our people safe:

Here at AWE, in a move towards smarter and safer workplaces, we recently unveiled that we have added robot dogs (otherwise known as quadruped robots) to our elite force to enhance safety, efficiency and data collection.

Remembrance Day 2025: Honouring 80 years of resilience and sacrifice

Today, as we face new global challenges, the spirit of Remembrance is just as important as ever, especially on this special anniversary.

Quantum Centre for Nuclear Defence and Security launched

As AWE commemorates its 75th anniversary this year, we also join the global scientific community in marking the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025 (IYQ), recognising a century of groundbreaking achievements in quantum physics and its transformative impact on the world.