Stephen Marcos Jones has been appointed new chief executive of the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC), the business association for the companies large and small working in the environmental technologies and services sector.

He replaces Hannah Vickers who left earlier in the year. He will take up his new role on 31 January 2022.

Stephen joins following more than a decade in senior leadership roles representing the UK’s energy sector on the global stage. He joins EIC after four years at the helm of UKPIA, the trade association for the UK’s downstream fuel sector.

While at UKPIA, Stephen led significant change across this important manufacturing sector, spearheading a cross-industry response on issues such as environmental regulation and promoting the sector’s opportunity to deliver decarbonisation in pursuit of Net Zero, while helping to articulate a vision for a sustainable future for the sector.

He has led on issues such as the energy transition, the role of hydrogen, fuel quality, forging proactive and collaborative relationships with the UK Government and the devolved administrations at ministerial level. Most recently, he has promoted industrial clustering and is a strong advocate of the government’s levelling up agenda.

Prior to this Stephen held a number of senior leadership positions at OGUK, the representative body for the UK offshore energy industry, where he grew commercial revenues for the association through a robust member engagement and events programme. He also led a successful campaign to drive efficiency into the industry, through the optimisation of procurement practices across the offshore supply chain.

Dave Beddell, chair of sister organisation the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), said: “After an extensive search, the board were unanimous in their view that Stephen was the prime candidate to take EIC forward through a period of significant challenge and opportunity.

“Stephen comes with a combined pedigree of executive leadership experience and impactful stakeholder engagement, which is extremely impressive. I am looking forward to working alongside him to promote the role EIC members have in delivering a truly sustainable recovery and, longer-term, government’s Net Zero ambitions.

Commenting on his appointment, Stephen Marcos Jones said: “While the last few years have been difficult for the UK economy, it has also presented opportunities for more forward-thinking organisations.

I am delighted to be able to help EIC’s members seize these opportunities, and it is already clear to me that they are crucial delivery partners for government, able to turn political ambition into tangible reality.

“I will be kicking off an intensive induction programme by meeting at least 100 people in my first 100 days. During this time, I will be listening and learning how EIC can continue to provide a compelling proposition while adding maximum value to its membership.”