Sir Hugh Collum has died at the age of 65 following a fall at his home. The former chairman of BNFL, he was appointed in 1999 and left in 2004.

Sir Hugh presided over a series of troubles for the company, most notably the data falsification scandal concerning MOX fuel rod pellets.

Prior to taking over at BNFL, Eton educated Collum had been part of the team that oversaw the merger between Beecham and SmithKline but he began his career in the family-owned brewing business. After joining the brewing firm Courage he became finance director of Cadbury Schweppes in 1981.