Hundreds of IMechE members, fellows, award winners and guests gathered to celebrate achievement, renew friendships and enjoy good company at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. The evening also presented an opportunity to reflect on the theme of “championing future engineers”, said 141st president Richard Judge in his welcoming remarks.
“I can think of few themes that are more important,” he said. “The world needs engineers more than ever. We’re the visionaries, turning bold ideas into reality. We’re the stewards of our manmade systems, ensuring that both our infrastructure and our products that we all depend on continue to work. We’re also good problem solvers, tackling some of society’s greatest challenges; from clean energy, responsible use of AI and economic growth, all the way through to healthcare for an ageing population, resilience to climate change and security.”
While talent, curiosity and potential are “everywhere”, he continued, opportunity is sadly not. “That’s why championing future engineers matters just so much – because when we talk about the future of engineering, we’re really talking about people. It’s the next generation of engineers who can be solving the challenges we’ve not yet encountered, who’ll be developing the technologies we’ve not yet imagined, and who help create a world that will look very different from the one we’re in today.”
That next generation was celebrated by the IMechE Awards, hosted by associate director of impact Joyce Achampong. Many volunteers were honoured, including Young Member Visionary Award winner Michaela Haynes, Volunteer of the Year Daniel Woodhead and Developing Engineer winner Chidera Okoli.
From the Scottish Region, Carolyn Harvey was named Volunteer of the Year for her pivotal role reestablishing the local committee following the Covid-19 pandemic, and Moaeez Rehman was the Young Member Volunteer of the Year.
The Speak Out for Engineering presentation competition concluded with Matteo Rochon Cocchiara named runner-up and Edward Johnston named winner, while Chris Brockley-Blatt won the Regional Strategy Board Volunteer of the Year Award and John Hart received special recognition.
The Whitworth Visionary Award went to Suzanne Birney, a “tireless advocate” for apprenticeships and women in engineering, and the Apprenticeship Provider of the Year category was won by Train’d Up, for its “outstanding commitment to developing future engineering talent”.
The institution’s highest annual honour went to Professor Siddartha Khastgir, who received the James Clayton Prize for “outstanding leadership in making autonomous and AI-enabled transport safer, helping to shape international standards, regulations and public understanding around the world”.
A post-dinner fireside chat featured Birney, group leader for manufacturing engineering at Altrad, Dave Pearson, sustainable development director for Star Refrigeration, and George Imafidon MBE, CEO and co-founder of Motivez, which supports young people from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM careers and opportunities. Working with about 5,000 young people each year, Motivez was the charity partner for the evening, with attendees donating to the organisation.
Discussing the evening’s theme, Imafidon – who works as a race engineer for Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Extreme E team – encouraged all attendees to consider mentoring opportunities. “I believe you’re never too young to serve. You can start supporting people as early as possible. I didn’t want to wait until I retire,” he said. “What can I do now? How can I keep the ladder down now?”
The panel discussed how to make engineering attractive, especially in the face of other industries trying to poach university talent. Solutions included “making engineering sexy”, current well-paid roles and engaging outreach. Pearson talked about his work with CeeD Scotland, which provides term-time work opportunities for university students.
“We’ve got to keep pushing the integration from business and work further and further down the track,” he said. “Earning while you’re learning, I think, is really important, and that, I think, is going to inspire more people to go into engineering because that’s a really solid pathway.”
Volunteering was a repeated topic in the conversation, including the opportunities available at IMechE events such as Formula Student. Imafidon said he was hoping to be a judge next year.
Discussing how to ensure young engineers get the mentors they need, he said: “Serve your way to the top. It doesn’t have to be ‘crabs in the bucket’, where everybody is trying to just get out and play that game… It actually creates more opportunities for you, allows you to delegate much easier as well.”
He concluded: “Just support one person this year. If that’s the only thing you take away from what I say – yeah, you would have made a world of a difference to someone’s life.”
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