As head of the technical department of mining giant RTZ, he restructured a metallurgical smelting plant to reduce levels of heavy metal pollution along a section of the River Rhine. He was also involved in the environmental design of the aluminium smelter at Holyhead, which is still operating well, 25 years on.

Environmental matters were to the fore when Ken was chief executive of the Docklands Light Railway. "It was a case of good neighbour because the railway was designed as a user-friendly system with minimum intrusion to local residents. The word environment has a much broader meaning than most people appreciate. It doesn't just mean chemical pollution. It is to do with the sustainability of everything that grows or survives, related items of noise and disturbance and, in the coal industry, the impact of subsidence", he says.

"My work has given me considerable experience of handling Environmental problems whether they are discharges into the river, gas or dust emissions into the atmosphere, or contamination of the soil."

"I am proud to be inheriting an environmental programme which is so soundly based and I will give it my personal support to ensure we take it forward and continue to achieve all of our Environmental targets".

"Safety and the environment have been major threads of the principal jobs I have done, as they will continue to be in my work for the Coal Authority".