National Grid has slashed the size of its management team to eight from 13. Britain’s electricity network operator will cut down its executive committee to ‘sharpen execution, improve performance and increase accountability’. The London-based firm is combining leadership under new UK and US presidents as it embarks on its biggest-ever investment programme, pledging to spend £70billion over the next five years to modernise and expand energy networks in the UK and North-East US. Cordi O’Hara, who heads the UK’s electricity distribution, will be appointed UK president on September 1. Sally Librera, who runs the New York business, will become interim president of the US.