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Can you think of someone who has made major contributions to engineering and technology and who deserves to be recognised for their achievements?
Tom Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Airbus, is one such person – he was nominated for and won the IET’s Mensforth Manufacturing Gold Medal in 2016.
Having started his career as an engineering apprentice, Tom worked across a range of high profile manufacturing industries. He is now responsible for overall operations of Airbus, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of civil aircraft. He has been involved in building the huge A380 and the new generation A350XB with its advanced carbon fibre construction.
With the advantage of knowing what it’s like to be nominated, Tom says: “I would certainly be happy to nominate someone from a similar operational background.”
He explains: “I feel an award programme for engineers and technologists brings recognition to manufacturing, an area that is not frequently recognised. This is particularly the case against the background of continuing questions about the competitiveness of manufacturing in the UK.
“I think there are a number of areas in which the UK performs well on the global scale and Aerospace is certainly one of them.”
He highlights exactly why we need to celebrate performance within engineering and technology: “We need to encourage talented young people to join our industry to ensure its continued future success.”
There are of course more personal reasons why you might want to nominate someone for an IET award. A nomination is a great compliment to your peer, indicating to them how much you value their work.
If they win, they are celebrated at the IET’s prestigious awards ceremony and identified as a role model for future generations of engineers.
The IET offers awards for engineers and technicians at all levels, working in a variety of sectors. For the majority of the awards, you and your nominee needn’t be IET members.
Nominate someone for an IET Achievement Award today. Visit www.theiet.org/achievement
Deadline for nominations: 26 May 2017, 17.00 (BST)