Meet our new CEO

“IMechE is a place where you, the engineers of the future, can really make a name for yourselves. My advice to you? Make use of it as an opportunity to explore all avenues for your career. Please don’t waste it.”

Stephen Tetlow is not only an engineer with a vision; he is the newly appointed Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Barely two months into a job he took on, he is already showing he has ideas and opinions, and is also keen to embrace the challenges that lie ahead – head on.

He began carving out his illustrious career in engineering as an apprentice in 1972 with Smiths Industries Ltd, moving through the ranks he ended up spending 25 years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) finally becoming its Chief Executive, and as Director of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering of the Army, he ran one of the major engineering organisations and professional engineering training schemes in Britain. The challenges he faced there, he says, gave him the experience he needed for his next role as Chief Executive of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA), responsible for the licensing and testing of commercial passenger and haulage vehicles in Great Britain. That was back in 2004 and now he is at the helm of the Institution of which he has been a Member for as far back as he can remember (he is now a Fellow).

Starting life as an apprentice back in the 1970s he remembers not having anything like the extensive, dedicated Young Member support network that exists today. So what inspired him - is engineering perhaps a long running family profession or part of his genetic make-up? “Definitely in the genes. Apparently when I was three my mother caught me trying to fiddle with the fuse box – so I guess I’m pretty lucky to have made it this far!” Interestingly though he is keen to stress he comes from a highly artistic – and talented family background. His two sisters are musicians and he himself has a passion for watercolours, and rock music.

In fact, he reveals here that he was one of 150 people that took part in a mammoth arts project to recreate Constable’s masterpiece, the Haywain in Trafalgar Square. He was asked when he was at VOSA, along with stars such as Quentin Blake, Jane Seymour, interior designer Linda Barker and the then England goalkeeper, David James. The double-decker bus-sized painting was produced for a live television show in Trafalgar Square.

“I really enjoyed that, and being asked to take part by the BBC of course, because I was creating something – and that is exactly what engineering is about. Engineering is inspirational, and is one of those rare careers that can make things happen, challenges turn into opportunities.”

“In the few weeks I’ve been here I have seen IMechE run competitions such as Cooling the Planet and launch reports on key areas such as Climate Change which make headlines all over the world. This strikes me that not only do we have really strong key messages to say, but we are saying them well. People are listening at Government and in the media.” Young engineers, he says, have an even bigger role to play now more than ever in safeguarding the future of our planet. He is as passionate about that as he is about the importance of professional registration.

“I am a strong believer in Chartership and Continued Professional Registration,” he says. “We now offer it across all levels and it is up to us, and organisations like us, to ensure we set the agenda, set the standards.”

Relax doesn’t seem to be a word often used in this engineer’s speech, but you may already know he recently led an expedition to South Georgia across the Southern Ocean to retrace Shackleton’s famous Antarctic rescue. When he isn’t ski-ing or climbing, he enjoys listening to the likes of rock band, Elbow, which recently scooped the acclaimed Mercury Prize. That, and a pint of Otter Brewery’s finest.

On a last note he is keen to stress to his young audience, that he is not someone who hides behind closed doors. “I operate an open door policy, and I stick to it. I’m a great believer in communication and being at the heart of whatever organisation I’m involved with.”

Read a full biography of Stephen Tetlow and find out how to contact him.