Institution news
As the 140th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Matt has used his term to make the case that engineering is not just part of the international conversation, it should be driving it. His presidential theme, Trust Me, I’m an Engineer, has focused on the public confidence engineers already command, and the responsibility that comes with it. IMechE has highlighted that engineering has consistently ranked among the most trusted professions in Ipsos polling since it was added to the list of careers to be scored in 2018, placing engineers alongside doctors and nurses in the public mind.
For Matt, that trust is not a soft virtue. It is a critical asset.
During his presidency, he has brought together more than two decades of industrial experience and long-standing volunteer service to the Institution. His career has spanned major organisations including Rolls-Royce, Babcock, Assystem, Nuvia, AWE and Costain, giving him first-hand experience of the sectors that underpin the UK’s security, infrastructure, energy and industrial capability.
That background has shaped a presidency focused on relevance, collaboration and confidence. Matt has spoken openly about the need to strengthen trust inside IMechE as well as outside it, including the relationship between governance, Council, members and staff. His message has been clear: the Institution is at its strongest when it works as one team, focused on members and on the wider value engineering brings to society.
But his argument goes further than internal renewal. Matt believes IMechE is uniquely placed to help put engineering at the forefront of policy influence. With more than 110,000 members across 140 countries, the Institution represents expertise across energy, transport, manufacturing, defence, aerospace, construction, biomedical engineering and beyond. That breadth gives IMechE a powerful voice at exactly the moment policymakers need practical, evidence-led solutions.
From net zero and energy security to advanced manufacturing, AI, defence, skills and infrastructure, the biggest challenges are engineering challenges. Matt’s presidency has made the case that engineers should not simply respond to policy, they should help shape it.
The opportunity is huge. If governments want their economies to compete on the international stage, they need the people who can turn ambition into delivery. Engineers design the systems, build the infrastructure, manage the risks and create the technologies that make national progress possible. IMechE’s role is to bring that expertise together, speak with authority and show that engineering is central to economic growth and public good.
Matt’s contribution has been to frame that mission around trust: trust in engineers, trust in institutions, and trust in the profession’s ability to deliver. In doing so, he has given IMechE a timely and confident message.
Societies do not just need more engineering. They need engineering closer to power, closer to policy and closer to the decisions that will define the future. Under Matt Garside’s presidency, IMechE has made a compelling case that it is ready to help lead that charge.
Throughout the year, Matt made it a priority to spend time meeting members in person, seeing first-hand the innovation they are driving. This included a visit to Oceania to strengthen collaboration with engineers in Australia and New Zealand, as well as joining celebrations in Darlington to mark 200 years of rail. The year culminated in a special Annual Dinner commemorating the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened in 1825 by the Institution’s first President, George Stephenson.
Members have repaid the trust Matt and the Trustee Board placed in them, backing two significant votes on the Institution’s By-Laws and Headquarters and showing their confidence in his leadership. Alongside a review of the Institution’s culture, this leaves IMechE in a strong position as it looks to the future under the leadership of its 141st President, Richard Judge.