Judges

The judges for the British Engineering Excellence Awards have been drawn from a cross section of electronic and engineering design disciplines. They are all technical and well qualified people who champion innovative engineering design.

Message from the Chairman of the Judges

The Engineering Industry has always been the cornerstone of genuine economic growth and national competitive strength and I doubt that any other sector has been able to demonstrate an equivalent visionary contribution to everyday life.

As we recover from recession, there can be no better time to deploy all our engineering resource to build an economy that can be recognised as world leading, with skills and value added enterprises as its foundations.

The proper recognition of our accomplishments is what drives all of us to higher levels and the achievement of engineering excellence is no exception. The British Engineering Excellence Awards have established a national platform by providing for such recognition and allow a celebration of the basic truth that skill, imagination and endeavour are the true ingredients for success. There can be no better accolade than to be seen by your own community as having achieved something very special.

In today’s competitive world, only the best will survive and only the excellent will provide for market leadership. The British Engineering Excellence Awards are an essential part of pushing our performance to ever higher standards and an opportunity to showcase our best products and solutions. To receive one of the Awards is a massive endorsement to any company and should inspire its entire staff for a job well done. To win overall is to be world leading and there can be no higher accolade.

I am confident not only in the abilities of the UK’s engineering sector, but also in its world class skill and innovation. I urge you to engage with us in recognising the best.

David Kynaston
Chairman of Judges

David Kynaston - Chairman of Judges

Previously Chair of the Electronics Innovation Growth Team, on behalf of the Secretary of State, culminating with the publication of “Electronics 2015 – Making a visible difference” in December 2004.

David has a first class degree in Applied Physics from Strathclyde University, and is a holder of the Kelvin prize for physics.

President of Solectron from 1996 to 2001, he led the development, growth and strategic deployment of Solectron's European operations.

Previous roles have included Managing Director of Philips Private Mobile Radio Division, Philips Business Communications Systems Division and Philips Mullard Ltd. Subsidiary, Operations Director of EMI Medical Ltd, Technical Director of Cambridge Scientific Instruments.

Colin Brown - Director of Engineering

Colin Brown has spent 25 years in engineering industry since graduating with a PhD on the fatigue behaviour of titanium alloys. During that time he has worked for Rolls-Royce, BP and T&N in a range of business roles. He also has experience in SME and spin-out companies of generating value from engineering excellence. Importantly he also has worked abroad in North America, Europe and the Far East as well as here in the UK.

In 2005 he joined the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to support their work in promoting the value of engineering. He has a strong belief in the ability of engineers to add value and to improve living standards especially through sharing best practice and by displaying professional competence. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining as well as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Web: www.imeche.org

Mark Sanders - Director

Mark Sanders trained as a Mechanical Engineer at Imperial College and Rolls-Royce.

After working in the engineering industry for several years, he also trained as a Designer at the Royal College of Art in London.

This combination of science and art usually gives efficient, elegant product solutions (engineering), that are also appealing and straightforward for all users (design).

Mark has combined these professions for 25 years as an engineer, inventor, and design consultant. His award winning products sell in 10’s of millions, globally.

He is a visiting lecturer at various schools and colleges in UK & abroad, including the RCA and Imperial College in London.

Web: www.mas-design.com

Doug Cross - Technical Director

Doug Cross is Technical Director, and co-founder of Flybrid Systems LLP, a green technology company which makes mechanical hybrid systems for motorsports and OEM automotive markets.

Prior to founding Flybrid Systems Doug worked at the Renault Formula One team, where he was responsible for the design of their first 19,000rpm 2.4L V8 engine. During his time at Renault they achieved back to back victories in both the drivers and constructors Formula One championships.

Before this he designed F1 engines for Toyota, living in Cologne, Germany, for five years.

He started his career at Ricardo Consulting Engineers designing engines for road-car customers.

Web: www.flybridsystems.com

Kate Bellingham, Presenter and Broadcaster

Kate Bellingham did not set out to become a TV presenter. She was ‘spotted’ whilst working for the BBC as an electronics engineer and invited to audition for a Schools TV programme, ‘Techno’. Having embarked on a career in ‘show biz’, her engineering background, along with a degree in physics from Oxford University and experience as a computer programmer, came in useful during her four years as a presenter on the flagship science and technology programme ‘Tomorrow’s World’.

Kate went on to present her own weekly programme on Radio 5 Live, ‘The Big Bang’ on Children’s ITV and other programmes for the Open University, BBC Schools and Channel 5. Subsequent broadcasts included a seven-part science series for the Open University, an engineering series for BBC2’s ‘Learning Zone’, ‘Testing Times’, a series for Radio 4 about the challenges faced on major engineering projects and a series on maths for BBC Schools Radio.

She is currently filming a new series for BBC2 about the work that goes on behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum, which is due to be transmitted in 2010.

Among Kate’s current projects is her work as the National STEM Careers Coordinator, supporting the Department for Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF) STEM campaign. She is also Education Ambassador for the 3 year Bloodhound Engineering Adventure – Richard Noble’s latest World Land Speed Record attempt aiming for 1000mph by 2011.

Kate also regularly hosts conferences and seminars for major companies and is very much involved in projects promoting science, engineering and technology to the general public. She is President of Young Engineers, the national network of engineering clubs in schools and colleges, and sits on the Knowledge Management Board for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and is a Patron of WISE – Women into Science, Engineering and Construction.

In 1997 Kate was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Technology by Staffordshire University in recognition of her work. In 2003 she obtained an MSc in Electronics with distinction at the University of Hertfordshire. Kate was awarded the ‘Public Promotion of Engineering’ Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2004, and between 2006 and 2008 Kate qualified and worked as a secondary maths teacher.

Graham Pitcher – Group Editor, Findlay Media Engineering Design Division

Graham Pitcher has worked as a journalist and editor for 30 years. Working mainly in the electronics industry, he also has broad expertise in computer aided design, industrial automation and computing technologies. For the past 15 years, he has been involved with the development of New Electronics and has edited the magazine for more than 10 years. As group editor of Findlay Media’s Engineering Design Division, he is responsible for New Electronics and Eureka magazines.

An engineer by training, he has worked in the steel and petrochemical industries.

Tel: 01322 221144
Email: gpitcher@findlay.co.uk
Web: www.newelectronics.co.uk

Paul Fanning – Editor, Eureka

Paul Fanning has been a trade and technical journalist for more than 15 years. Having started his career as an Associate Editor with ‘Machinery & Production Engineering’, he has gone on to edit a number of industrial titles, including ‘Sheet Metal Industries’. He took over as editor of Eureka in January 2010.

Tel: 01322 221144
Email: pfanning@findlay.co.uk
Web: www.eurekamagazine.co.uk

Andrew Sleigh – Senior Scientific Advisor

Andrew Sleigh was appointed Group Chief Technology Officer in April 2007. He is responsible for leading the development of QinetiQ Group’s technology strategy and is custodian for QinetiQ’s investment processes. He ensures that the EMEA and QinetiQ North America regions have a strong technology axis, are able to sustain the foundations for world class science and innovation, and are fully exploiting opportunities for growth.

Andrew joined QinetiQ when it became a plc in 2001 and before his current appointment, held the position of Managing Director of the Defence & Technology Sector. Before joining QinetiQ, he was Capability Manager for Information Superiority and member of MOD’s Joint Capabilities Board. He has over 30 years’ experience in defence-related technology and its exploitation into adjacent markets. He was a Managing Director in the Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA) until 1997, and before that, worked at the Royal Radar Establishment.

Andrew read physics at St Catherine's, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and was for several years a Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London. He is a Member of OFCOM Spectrum Management Advisor Board, a Member of the SBAC Council and a Member of the NDIC Research and Development Group. He is also a Member of the European Commission Framework Programme 7 Security Advisory Group.

Tel: 01252 392000
Web: www.qinetiq.com

Eric Wilkinson – Head of Product Development

Eric Wilkinson is a Director of Cambridge Consultants and Head of Product Development.

He has managed projects as diverse as the development of the latest in anti-terrorism radar, a revolutionary cosmetics applicator, the world’s most intelligent iron and even something to liven up a can of beer!

This varied experience across a range of different industries has given Eric the insight necessary to manage some of this innovative company’s largest projects.

Tel: 01223 420024
Email: eric.wilkinson@cambridgeconsultants.com
Web: www.cambridgeconsultants.com

Nick Appleyard – Lead Technologist, Electronics, Photonics and Electrical Systems, Technology Strategy Board.

Nick is responsible for the Technology Strategy Board’s strategies and programmes relating to digital services and the internet.

We are living through an explosion in the availability of information, which is profoundly changing how we live our lives and run our businesses. To stimulate economic growth from the complex landscape of services, the needs of their users, and the digital infrastructure that supports them, the UK needs a consistent vision and a coordinated strategy, so that businesses can work together and learn from each others’ expertise. The Technology Strategy Board is the UK government’s innovation agency. Our activities range from Knowledge Transfer Networks, where businesses find information and partners, through to support mechanisms such as Research and Development project funding. During 2010 we are also investing in a Digital Test Bed for the free use of UK businesses. This will become a window onto the future of the internet, where new business models and technologies can be tested in front of thousands of real users, building market understanding and investment confidence to the benefit of UK businesses and their customers.

Nick graduated in physics from Cambridge University in 1989, and followed a PhD in Birmingham with an academic career spanning superfluid helium and quantum electronic devices.

With unerring timing, Nick then chose to move into the semiconductor manufacturing industry in early 2001, just as the dot.com and communications bubbles burst. He helped develop materials processing equipment for Trikon Technologies Inc and subsequently Surface Technology Systems Ltd, working in silicon, compound semiconductors and optical materials. As Strategic Development Manager at STS, Nick directed the company’s R&D towards market needs, constructing collaborative grant proposals and joint development projects, managing intellectual property issues and planning and overseeing internal development projects and prototypes.

Nick joined the new Technology Strategy Board in July 2007 as Lead Technologist for Electronics, Photonics and Electrical Systems, and became Head of the new Digital department in April 2010. He is also on the board of Westmill Wind Farm in Oxfordshire.

Tel: 07824 600013
Email: nick.appleyard@tsb.gov.uk
Web: www.innovateuk.org

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