Our Structure

Tom Mitchell

Tom began his tenure as WANO Chair in March 2019 and his term ends in March 2025. He has over 40 years of nuclear energy leadership experience. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of FirstEnergy Corporation, and also as Chair of the Board’s Nuclear Committee and as a member of its Governance Committee.

He is the retired President, CEO, and Director of Ontario Power Generation in Canada. In that role, and as Chief Nuclear Officer, Tom was directly responsible for the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of 10 CANDU-design nuclear units with 6600 MW of capacity.  Prior to this Tom was the senior site vice president of the 4 CANDU unit Pickering B station.

While at OPG, Tom oversaw the successful completion of several new hydroelectric projects, the transition from coal-fired power generation, and a major business transformation of the company’s size and cost structure.

Prior to his OPG experience, Tom had roles of increasing responsibility at Philadelphia Electric Company’s (now Exelon) Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania USA culminating in his appointment as Site Vice President.

Tom was Vice President of International Programs and Assistance at INPO and served as Deputy Director of the WANO Atlanta Centre. While at OPG, Tom was a member of the Atlanta Centre Governing Board and its Chair from 2012 to 2015.

Tom has served on the Board of the US Electric Power Research Institute and was a member of the Leadership and Compensation Committee. He also has served on the Board of the US Nuclear Energy Institute and was Chair of the WANO Post-Fukushima Commission.

Tom has an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering from Cornell University, a master degree in mechanical engineering from George Washington University, and an honorary doctorate degree from University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

His Excellency Mohamed Al Hammadi 

Chairman: Jeffrey Lyash, CEO of Tennessee Valley Authority

Appointed by the Board of Directors in February 2019, Lyash leads the nation’s
largest public utility in its mission of serving the people of the Tennessee Valley to make life better.

Before coming to TVA, Lyash served since 2015 as president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation Inc., one of the largest electric generating companies in Canada. Lyash was previously the president of CB&I Power and before that served as executive vice president of Energy Supply for Duke Energy.

Lyash began his career in the utility industry in 1981 and worked for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and received the NRC Meritorious Service Award in 1987.

Lyash earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University, and was honored with the Drexel University Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009.

Governor: Robert F. Willard, President and CEO, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

Governor: Cosmin Ghita, Chief Executive Officer of Centrala Nuclearelectrica Cernavoda

Chairman: Eduard Martirosyan, Director General, Haykakan Atomayin Electrakayan Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC)

Eduard Martirosyan was appointed by order of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia, as General Director of the «HAEK» CJSC in 2020. He graduated from the Faculty of Transport of the State Engineering University of Armenia in 1996.

Governor: Mr Zhang Yi, General Manager of Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation
Governor: Alexander Shutikov, Director General, Rosenergoatom, Joint-Stock Company

Chairman: Johan Svenningsson, CEO and Country Chairman of Uniper Sweden 

Chairman: Yutaka Kanai, Representative Director & President, Hokuriku Electric Power Company 

Governor: Kazuhiro Ikebe, President & Chief Executive Officer of Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc.
 

Governor: Mr ZOU Zhengyu, General Manager of China National Nuclear Power Co., LTD (CNNP).

Naoki Chigusa

Dr Naoki Chigusa took up his position as WANO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1 January 2023. Prior to this, he joined the WANO Tokyo Centre in July 2014 as Director General.

He has more than 40 years of experience in Nuclear Operations, Maintenance and Engineering, having started his career in 1982 at the Kansai EPC. He has served at the Ohi and Mihama nuclear power plants, and in the Kansai corporate office and he has served as Director Nuclear Technology and Executive Officer.   

Dr Chigusa has served as an Expert Member on the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. He is a Professor of the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University. 

Dr Chigusa has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from University of Tokyo. He earned a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from Kyoto University.  

Steve Meng 

Steve Meng serves a dual role as the Director of the Atlanta Centre for WANO and as Vice President, International Strategy, for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). He assumed both positions in August 2023. 

Steve joined INPO in 2007 and brings 35 years of experience to his role. Most recently, he was a loaned employee to Duke Energy where he served as Vice President, Corporate Operations. His previous positions include: Director, Plant Operations; Manager, Plant Operations; team leader; Director, Process Optimization; Manager, Emergency Preparedness; and WANO Operating Experience Technical Program Manager. Steve also served as the lead investigator and primary author for the INPO Special Report on the Nuclear Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. 

In addition to INPO, Steve has worked as a Chief Engineer in the fossil industry, held positions in operations and training with General Electric – Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories, and engineering and operations with Exelon. 

Steve started his career in 1987 in the United States Navy. He received a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and a master’s degree in business administration from Regis University. Steve earned a senior reactor operator license at Clinton Power Station.

Vasily Aksenov

Mr Aksenov was named Director of the Moscow Centre in February 2015. After graduating from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute in 1981, Mr Aksenov joined the Kalinin NPP branch of Concern Rosenergoatom in 1996, where he was a Chief Engineer until 2005. He then went on to become the Deputy Director General of Concern Rosenergoatom at Kalinin NPP until 2007.

In 2007, he graduated from Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnic University, majoring in Organisation Management. In the same year, he became the Deputy of Technical Director on new power units of Federal State Unitary Enterprise for Concern Rosenergoatom NPPs.

In 2008 until early 2015, he was the First Deputy of the General Director – Chief Engineer of JSC Atomenergoremont of Rosatom State Corporation. He has also been a Candidate of Technical Sciences since 1999.

Luis Soriano Martínez

Luis Soriano Martínez took up his position as Paris Centre Director on 1 January 2020.
 

Kim Keeyoung

Mr Kim Keeyoung took up his position as Director General of Tokyo Centre on 1 January 2023.

From November 2021, Mr Kim was KHNP Head Office Safety Department Vice President, in this role, he oversaw the safety performance of 24 KHNP plant units. Before this Mr Kim was the Director General of KHNP’s Human Resource Development (HRD) Institute, in this role he was responsible for the HRD across the company.

Mr Kim has gained more than 30 years of experience in nuclear operation, training and safety oversight including serving as a shift manager and a senior manager at KHNP head office. From 2018 to 2020, he was seconded as Tokyo Centre’s Deputy Director General.

Mr Kim has a Master’s degree in Material Science and Engineering from Pusan National University. He also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Kyunghee University. Mr Kim also has a Korea Associate Coach Certificate (KCA).