Member Article

BPE chairman receives medal for contribution to engineering

Chairman of Winchester-based process engineering firm, Ian Shott, is to be recognised with one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious prizes.

Ian Shott CBE FREng will receive the 2017 President’s Medal in recognition of his many contributions to the work of the Academy, which have culminated in the creation of the Enterprise Hub – a community for entrepreneurial engineers that provides mentoring, funding and support to some of the nation’s most promising innovators.

As founding Chair of the Academy’s Enterprise Committee, Ian has overseen the launch of the Hub in 2013 through to the opening of its dedicated home in the Taylor Centre earlier this year. In that time, it has helped 52 startups generate nearly 200 jobs, and go on to raise over £36 million in follow-on funding.

Ian’s leadership has enabled the Academy to play an influential role in the UK’s engineering enterprise landscape, at a time when it is recognised that supporting innovation should form a vital pillar of the nation’s industrial strategy.

Since being elected a Fellow in 2008, Ian has also served as a judge for the MacRobert Award, the UK’s premier award for engineering innovation, and served from 2010 to 2013 on the Academy’s Engineering Policy Committee, during which time he led an influential study on public procurement.

He said: “I get a real kick out of seeing high impact successes being created and realised. Working together with an impressive team of colleagues, we have been on a major journey to set up the Enterprise Hub.

“It is an honour to be a Fellow and it has been a privilege to be involved in a number of the Academy’s activities, and I am very grateful for this award that recognises the importance of making the UK a leading nation for engineering innovation.”

Mike Brown, BPE’s managing director, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Ian. His connections are second to none and this award very rightfully recognises how he has gone the extra mile to help push the industry forward. We’re sure our clients will join us in congratulating him on this prestigious accolade.”

Chairman of the National Physical Laboratory Sir David Grant CBE FREng FLSW, who nominated Ian for the award, commented: “Ian Shott is eminently deserving of the President’s Medal for his exceptional contribution to the success of the Academy and his far-reaching influence on enterprise and engineering innovation in the UK. He has been an extraordinarily dynamic and effective Academy Fellow.”

The President’s Medal recognises significant contribution to the Academy’s aims and initiative in promoting excellence in engineering. Previous winners include Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design Sir Jonathan Ive KBE RDI FREng, Terry Hill CBE FREng, Chair of Arup’s Board of Trustees, and top nuclear engineer Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng FRS.

Ian will be presented with the award at the Academy’s annual Awards Dinner at London’s Landmark Hotel on 29 June.

To find out more about BPE visit www.bpe-ds.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BPE .