Annual Report 2024

Within the Annual Report, read about our purpose, values, strategic goals, strategic enablers and vision for 2030.

President’s statement

Engineering is core to solving the global challenges we face today. Our Institution continues to support the valuable work of our members in rising to those challenges, and I am proud to be part of that engineering community. As an institution we must innovate, strive to overcome the challenges we face, be relevant and grasp our opportunities.

When I was elected President, I knew it would be a busy year. My priority was improving the financial sustainability of our Institution, and I am pleased to report that we are making progress, but there is still more to do. We are looking at our costs to make sure we’re using resources efficiently, whilst also looking to improve the standards of service we provide for our members.

We have sold IMechE Argyll Ruane and prepared Sonaspection for sale (completed in February 2025), so that we could focus on activities closer to our mission and purpose. 

To further reduce our financial liabilities, a group of our volunteers and staff, led by Past President Isobel Pollock-Hulf, have been working to safeguard the future of the IMechE Pension Fund. This has enabled me to sign an agreement to move towards achieving our long-term strategy for the Pension scheme.

We have also been working hard to improve our policies and procedures, and I would like to thank Past President Carolyn Griffiths for her support on this initiative. There is more work to do but we are making considerable progress. 

Transformation is central to our global, inclusive, and digitally enabled engineering community. We are investing in advanced digital tools which will help to provide seamless services and make access to IMechE’s resources easier.

There is still more to do on our HQ as we resolve the best solution for our Institution, and I am hopeful that we will be able to move forward positively in 2025.

As President, I had the pleasure of connecting with our wider engineering community through a number of exciting events:

• Formula Student and the Railway Challenge, where student participation reached record levels.
• Presenting the Engineering Heritage Award to Trinity College Dublin for Py-rac-mon steam locomotive model.
• Regional events, including an insightful Christmas lecture in the Western region on space travel, and a fabulous trip to Hull to meet members from our Yorkshire division.
• Hosting a dinner in Lisbon for members of our Iberia Group.

I sincerely appreciate the support and collaboration of our members and staff during my tenure. The road ahead is one of resilience, progress, and innovation. With a clear vision and strong action, IMechE is in a great position to create a sustainable future – one that respects our rich engineering history and welcomes new opportunities.

Dr Clive Hickman OBE CEng FIMechE
139th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers