Appointments: New IMechE president and key roles at Schneider, BCAS, Ashtead and ABB
31 May 2022
Phil Peel has been elected as 137th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers as it celebrates the 175th anniversary of its foundation in 1847.
Currently chief engineer steam turbines with General Electric, he relocated to Switzerland in 2001 and will be the Institution’s first non-UK resident President. His priorities include extending IMechE’s global reach, developing the Institution’s new long-term strategy and supporting diversity and inclusion .
He commented: “I am proud to take office in such a momentous anniversary year, in which we aim to celebrate and honour our past whilst looking confidently towards the future. As president, I want to focus on how we can build for the future and support our members to tackle the many global challenges we face.”
A video to mark Peel’s presidency can be viewed below.
Schneider Electric has appointed François Disch as digital transformation consultant for the industrial automation business unit in UK and Ireland.
Reporting to Martin Walder, VP Industry - Automation Europe, he will play a key role in bringing to market the digital transformation journey offering for industrial customers.
He previously worked with Deloitte on large scale digital transformation for the manufacturing sector.
The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has appointed Jen Kershaw to the new position of policy and membership officer.
Kershaw’s roles will include driving member engagement and satisfaction and working on policy to influence legislation and regulation at a strategic level post-Brexit.
International subsea equipment rental and solutions specialist Ashtead Technology has appointed Phil Middleton as survey and robotics director.
Middleton has held various senior positions in the subsea technology sector, most recently with MacArtney Group where he was UK managing director. Prior to that, he was Group Managing Director at Seatronics.
Allan Pirie, Ashtead Technology’s CEO, said: “Attracting someone of Phil’s calibre into the business is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. He has strong industry experience, as well as considerable knowledge of the subsea equipment rentals sector which will complement the talent, expertise and capabilities of our existing team.”
ABB has appointed Gareth Jones as its new local division manager for drive products and system drives for motion in the UK.
He joins from the Welsh drives brand Control Techniques where he worked for 27 years, joining initially as a sponsored graduate, and eventually leading the Nidec brand’s UK regional office. He also previously held senior roles in Control Techniques’ global marketing and leadership teams.
Jones will manage ABB’s portfolio of drive products in the UK, including low voltage and systems drives, and will lead a team including sales and segment managers. He will also play a key role in growing relationships with ABB’s Value Providers network.
