the economical, ecological choice...

senior management

Derek Dixon

Derek joined Ernst & Young's Business Risk Services practice in 1999 following a career in the UK Utility sector. Over a period of 22 years he held several senior management posts at Yorkshire Electricity in financial, management and regulatory accounting, corporate treasury, customer services, strategic planning and business audit. His industry experiences include:

As part of the senior management board he fulfilled a leading role in the strategic development of the retail and wholesale supply operations. As its Finance Director he was responsible for providing a full range of Financial and Legal services to a business with an annual turnover of £1.3bn, an operating budget of £160m, assets of £250m, 2.1 million customers and 2,400 staff across 5 locations.

At privatisation Derek established Yorkshire Electricity’s Corporate Treasury function from scratch including recruitment of key personnel, selection and installation of treasury management and information systems, banking relationships, risk management framework and standby and working capital facilities.

As Sector Leader of Ernst & Young’s UK Utilities Group he led the Firm's Compliance Officer service development and was the lead advisor to the DTI on business separation of the UK Utility sector following introduction of the Utilities Act 2000. He also established and managed Ernst & Young's UK Energy Trading Group in London, a multi-disciplinary business unit developing and delivering cross service line solutions to Clients across Europe where energy trading was a core activity.

Kath Chapman

Kath has extensive energy and risk management experience gained at Manufacturers Hanover, British Telecom, the Department of Energy, The Halifax plc, Yorkshire Electricity and Ernst & Young LLP. 

Kath obtained her Masters Degree in Internal Audit and Management at the City of London Business School prior to the Department of Energy in 1986. Over the next six years Kath worked at British Telecom, Manufacturers Hanover and The Halifax Building Society before joining Yorkshire Electricity in 1992.

At Yorkshire Electricity, Kath held a number of senior positions across corporate treasury and wholesale and retail energy supply. Positions of particular relevance include those of Energy Trading Pricing Manager and Pooling and Settlements Manager, where amongst other things she was responsible for: -

  • Creation of a business blueprint to enable the YE's Energy Supply business to move into the competitive market and the management of YE’s interface with external organisations such as Elexon, the Electricity Pool, MEU Group and other national bodies.
  • Development of the special markets section focusing on niche markets to major industrial customers including setting the pricing strategy and prices for the industrial and commercial markets.
  • Management of Yorkshire Electricity’s load research programme including managing major industrial customers with technical pricing and load management requirements.

On joining Ernst & Young's Business Risk Services practice Kath developed and delivered internal audit services and risk management solutions to a range of Clients including Teesside Power, Bradford & Bingley, British Energy, Singapore Power, Scottish Power and UK Coal, before joining the Firm’s Energy Trading practice in 2001.

back to about us >>