Institution's Annual Dinner is enjoyed in style

The Dorchester in Park Lane was the glittering venue for an evening’s celebration of engineering achievements and the chance to relax with friends and colleagues.

Among those honoured during the evening were the engineering Visionaries, whose commitment inspires others and promotes the industry across society.

Leading sponsors were Jaguar Land Rover and Dassault Systèmes. Guests were invited to enter the Prize Draw to win the Land Rover Experience.

Guest speakers included The Right Honorable Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, and entertainer Dara Ó Briain, presenter of TV shows such as Mock the Week, Stargazing Live and Robot Wars.

The President’s Reception was held in the Crystal Room, with drinks reception in the Gold, Silver and Crush Room. Toastmaster John Hollingsworth invited guests to take their seats in the Ballroom as the presentations began at 8pm.

President of the Institution Jon Hilton CEng FIMechE welcomed all the guests and wished them an enjoyable evening. He thanked Dassault Systèmes for their sponsorship of the Prize Draw and highlighted the important work of the evening’s nominated charity, RedR, in its support for disaster relief.

Jon invited Stephen Tetlow MBE, Chief Executive Officer of the Institution, to the stage to announce the winner of the James Watt International Gold Medal. This award is given every two years to an eminent engineer who has attained worldwide recognition in mechanical engineering. Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS CEng HonFIMechE FInstP, this year’s winner, joined Stephen and Jon on the stage to receive her medal and was warmly congratulated.

Stephen welcomed Nick Rogers CEng FIMechE, Group Engineering Director, Jaguar Land Rover to the stage. Jaguar Land Rover is sponsor of the Vision Awards 2016. Nick had the pleasure of announcing this year’s winner of the EngTech Award, Keith Wylie EngTech MIMechE. Keith was an apprentice in the RAF and is now UK Engineering Manager at Heat Trace Ltd. He provides strong support to his colleagues on their route to professional registration, as well as great commitment to his own career development.

There then followed presentations to each of the Vision Award winners who were invited up to join Jon and Stephen and were applauded by the guests:

Undergraduate Visionary: Katie Winkle is studying for her PhD and is based in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. She is passionate about diversity and creativity shaping the future of engineering.

Young Member Visionary: Matthew Marson IEng MIMechE. A consultant at Accenture working on HVAC analytics systems, Matthew has also collaborated with Engineers Without Borders UK.

Whitworth Visionary: Sophie Morrison. Sophie completed her apprenticeship at BAE Systems, has a degree from Imperial College London and is currently studying for her PhD in nuclear energy.

Geoff French CBE, Chair of Trustees at RedR UK was invited to address guests about the work of the charity, which develops skills and capacity to deal with disaster in many disadvantaged areas of the world.

After dinner, the Toastmaster introduced the Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, who spoke about Brexit, the UK’s engineering skills excellence and future transport projects – and offered a culture of ‘open door’ discussion between government and engineering bodies such as the Institution.

The Secretary of State’s speech was followed by a highly entertaining set by comedic presenter Dara Ó Briain, who is famous for his fascination with science and space.

As the evening drew to a close it was time to hear who had been victorious in the Prize Draw. Stephen Chadwick, Managing Director, EuroNorth for Dassault Systèmes, which kindly sponsored this prize, selected the winner, who now has the opportunity to enjoy the thrilling Land Rover Experience.