Tim Ward IEng MIMechE has won the 2019 Baroness Platt of Writtle Award for his outstanding work on submarine engineering. Presented by the Engineers Trust (Charitable Trust Fund of Worshipful Company of Engineers), this prestigious annual award recognises the achievements of a newly registered Incorporated Engineer (IEng). Tim was presented with a medal, certificate and prize money of £1,000 at the Annual Awards presentations of the Worshipful Company of Engineers, on 5 September 2019.

Tim was inspired to be an engineer as a GCSE student when he studied the splitting of the atom to generate energy.

He proceeded to achieve a 1^st Class MEng from Southampton University in Mechanical Engineering, then joined the Royal Navy and undertook leadership training at Britannia Royal Naval College and nuclear propulsion engineering at HMS Sultan. He has undertaken challenging engineering assignments on board HMS Triumph and HMS Torbay with steadily increasing levels of responsibility, including duty officer responsible for all non-weapon platform systems aboard the submarine. 

His current role is on shore as an Astute Class Manager for the Submarine Delivery Agency, in which he is responsible for the planning and managing of all maintenance needs and periods for all active Astute Class submarines, delivering overhauls ahead of schedule and within an annual budget of £5M. He impressed the judges with his energy and enthusiasm for engineering, problem solving ability, innovation, and leadership skills.  

Of particular note were the examples he gave of using sincere empowerment of individual team members to maintain high standards of team performance and morale, as well as high safety standards during a period of unusually arduous on-board conditions. He is an active contributor to the South West Nuclear Hub and a STEM ambassador.

Tim Ward said: “I feel honoured to have won the Baroness Platt of Writtle award. My career in the Royal Navy has been extremely challenging and it is very special to have my work recognised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Worshipful Company of Engineers. My success as an engineer has only been possible because of the brilliant members of the Submarine service, with whom I have had the privilege of working, and my incredibly patient family. I am excited about my future in the profession and I hope I can continue to motivate those around me to pursue a rewarding engineering career.”

Over 28,000 talented engineers are professionally registered with IEng status, as of the end of 2018. Tim was nominated for this award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) and was judged against other very competitive candidates. Tim was one of six nominated candidates that were shortlisted and were invited to interview.

Chaido Doulala-Rigby (Yuli), a Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Engineers, said: “The Engineers Trust makes many awards each year – see www.engineerstrust.org.uk. This award is for Incorporated Engineers of all disciplines. This year the nominations came from a variety of industries that ranged from civil engineering, defence, utilities, aerospace, mechanical, submarine engineering, infrastructure in remote areas and humanitarian engineering. All nominees displayed high levels of engineering excellence, which makes the search for the winner a tough choice. Tim impressed the judges with his exceptional leadership skills, his impeccable professionalism, and his strong commitment to sharing of learning experiences at team and industry level.

Alasdair Coates, CEO of the Engineering Council, added: “I would like to congratulate Tim Ward, this years’ worthy winner of this prestigious award and an outstanding IEng registrant. It is pleasing to see a high calibre of candidates nominated again this year and the valuable work done by Incorporated Engineers across all sectors of the engineering profession being recognised through this award. The Engineering Council would like to thank the Engineers Trust and its judging panel for their careful consideration of all those nominated for the Baroness Platt Award”.”

Nominations for the 2020 Baroness Platt of Writtle Award will open early next year. Institutions will be able to nominate up to five members who achieved IEng status in 2019. Nominees should, in the view of their institution, have displayed outstanding commitment to the engineering profession, have excellent communications skills and have demonstrated management qualities. Please see www.engineerstrust.org.uk for further details.

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For press enquiries:
Kate Webster, Marketing and Communications Manager, Engineering Council:

020 3206 0567 kwebster@engc.org.uk   

Notes:

History of the award

This year is the seventh time that the Baroness Platt Award has recognised an outstanding newly registered Incorporated Engineer. The Award was originally established by the Worshipful Company of Engineers to recognise engineering excellence amongst those pursuing final year studies leading to the academic qualifications needed for Incorporated Engineer status. It was awarded in this form from 2002 to 2012, with the assistance of the Institution of Incorporated Engineers and later the Institution of Engineering and Technology in selecting the Award winner. The award is limited to British citizens or those who have resided in the UK for at least five years and whose principal residence is in the UK.

About Baroness Platt of Writtle CBE

Baroness Platt studied engineering at Cambridge University and worked on the testing and production of fighter aircraft during the Second World War. After the war, she worked on air safety in the research department of British European Airways. Later, she chaired the educational committee of Essex County Council and the Equal Opportunities Commission, was chancellor of Middlesex University and a non-executive director of British Gas. She was instrumental in setting up WISE – Women in Science and Engineering, and a champion of the role of Incorporated Engineers. Baroness Platt was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and an Assistant Emeritus of the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

About the Worshipful Company of Engineers

The Worshipful Company of Engineers (www.engineerscompany.org.uk) is one of the ‘modern’ livery companies of the City of London. Established in 1983, its Liverymen are all Chartered Engineers and Fellows of an appropriate professional engineering body, or Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering. This award is funded by the Engineers Trust (www.engineerstrust.org.uk), with a contribution from the Dulverton Trust.

About the Engineering Council

The Engineering Council holds the national Register of Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Chartered Engineers (CEng) and Information and Communication Technology Technicians (ICTTech). It also sets and maintains the internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics that govern the award and retention of these titles. By this means it is able to ensure that employers, government and wider society, both at home and overseas, can have confidence in the skills and commitment of registrants. For more information visit www.engc.org.uk