David Hodgkinson, Quintessa’s founder and first Managing Director, has decided to retire after a long and illustrious career in the nuclear industry spanning 45 years which has included: research fellowships at European Centre for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; responsibility for the development and application of computational models for assessing the long-term safety of radioactive waste disposal at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority; establishing the Environmental Division of Intera Information Technologies; and founding Quintessa in 1999.
David has been gradually reducing his working hours over the last six years to ease himself into retirement. His current responsibilities have been taken over by Richard Little in his capacity as Quintessa’s Managing Director. David will continue to provide support to the company on an ad hoc basis and will be the company’s honorary Chairman.
In announcing David’s decision to staff at the company’s away day, Richard Little said that “I would like to say a huge thank you to David for everything that he has done for Quintessa over the last 18 years, especially in establishing the company as an employee-owned business and allowing it to transition to its current state. He has provided us all with a wonderful home in which to grow. It is very appropriate that he has seen Quintessa grow into adulthood (we are now 18 years old!) and he is now ready to step back and retire. I am sure that you will join me in wishing David a very long and very happy retirement.
Since the beginning of Quintessa, David has worked hard to promote and inspire others with the benefits of employee ownership, supporting the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), meeting with other companies thinking of introducing employee ownership, and advising Government on how best to promote this as an alternative company structure. His work in this area was deservedly recognised in 2015 when he was named Employee Owner of the Year by the EOA.
There are plans for a formal retirement party for David in the autumn to which colleagues past and present will be invited.