Dame Sue Ion already knows HSL well, having served as a member of HSE's Oversight Panel for HSL since 1997.  Until 2006 she was Group Director of Technology for BNFL, responsible for the Group's entire technology portfolio and playing a leading role in government and regulatory issues. She has also held a number of other non-executive directorships with technology-based businesses.

With a first class honours degree and a PhD from Imperial College, Sue joined BNFL in 1979 where she made her career in materials science and metallurgy. She has an extensive knowledge of the nuclear fuel cycle, especially fuel manufacture, reprocessing and recycling technologies. She represents the UK on a number of international committees for the nuclear sector, and is a respected contributor on science, engineering and technology policy matters. In 2004, Sue was invited to become a member of the Council of Science and Technology, advising the Prime Minister and First Ministers of Scotland and Wales on strategic, longer-term issues.

Sue holds fellowships with a number of learned societies and has maintained strong links with academia and academic research. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was awarded the OBE in 2002 for services to the nuclear industry. Sue was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year Honours List 2010 for her services to science and engineering. In 2010 Sue was also named among the 100 most influential contemporary scientific figures in Britain, by Eureka, The Times' science magazine.