Top engineering figures honoured for their contribution
3 Jan 2019
Leading figures in the process engineering sector are among those who received New Year honours for their contribution to society and industry.
Chemical engineers Geoffrey Maitland and Raffaella Ocone were respectively created CBE – (Commander of Honour of the Order of the British Empire) and given an OBE (Order of the British Empire).
Maitland is professor of energy engineering at Imperial College London and a past president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Ocone is professor of chemical engineering at Herriot-Watt University and an IChemE Fellow.
Said Maitland: “I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to work with staff and colleagues at IChemE, which has allowed me to interact with so many amazing chemical engineers across the world, support the profession, and help raise awareness of how exciting and impactful chemical engineering is.”
The importance of engineering cannot be underestimated in the world today and the next generation needs to realise what an exciting career opportunity [it] presents
Michelle Richmond, director of membership and professional development, IET
Ocone who chairs of IChemE’s UK research committee described herself as “humbled and honoured” to have been awarded an OBE, saying it was a a recognition to engineering in the UK and abroad.
Another OBE recipient is pioneering radar engineer Professor Hugh Griffiths - Thales/Royal Academy of Engineering Chair of RF Sensors at University College London and a long-established volunteer for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
“I am thrilled at this honour, which recognises the importance of radar in the UK and worldwide. I am hugely grateful to all of the engineers and scientists who I have worked with and learned from over the years,” commented Griffiths.
And the IET’s director of membership and professional development, Michelle Richmond, received an MBE for her work as an ambassador for women in engineering as well as spearheading ground-breaking education initiatives and setting engineering standards.
Since 2016 she has led the development of the UK Registered Professional Electrician (RPE) Certification Mark for use by electricians working in the UK, billed by the IET as a significant contribution to public safety.
She remarked: “It is a privilege and thrill to receive this award, which was totally unexpected. The importance of engineering cannot be underestimated in the world today and the next generation needs to realise what an exciting career opportunity engineering and technology presents.”
Photo (l to r): Raffaella Ocone, Geoffrey Maitland, Michelle Richmond and Hugh Griffiths
