Fri, 31 March, 2023
The Welding Institute is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, with the Institute having been represented by 58 presidents since its formation in 1923.
Well-respected experts in their fields, the Institute presidents take up the honorary role to help develop and expand the influence and reach of The Welding Institute.
The Current President
Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBR FREng FRS became the 58th president of The Welding Institute in September 2022. As the first female president of The Welding Institute, Baroness Brown’s appointment represents a significant milestone in the history of the Institute.
Having gained an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Fracture Mechanics, Baroness Brown has made significant contributions to the STEM industry, leading to accolades including the Grunfeld, John Collier, Lunar Society, Constance Tipper, Bengough, Kelvin and Leonardo da Vinci medals; as well as the Erna Hamburger Prize and the 2012 President's Prize from the Engineering Professors' Council.
Baroness Brown’s contributions are not just academic and professional but also philanthropic, with her involvement in chairing the Science and Technology Select Committee, the Carbon Trust, STEM Learning Ltd and the Adaptation Committee of Climate Change Committee.
Alongside gaining knowledge in her field, she has shared her expertise with students and peers, with roles including a decade spent as the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, being the Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College, London, and holding senior business and engineering posts at Rolls-Royce plc.
Full List of Welding Institute Presidents 1923-2023
Term of office
|
Name
|
1923-1925
|
Sir R Rylands-Bart
|
1925-26
|
Charles Bingham
|
1926-28
|
Professor F C Thompson
|
1928-29
|
Lewis J Yeoman
|
1929-30
|
A L Haggerty
|
1930-31
|
L M Fox
|
1931-32
|
W R J Britten
|
1932-33
|
A E Shorter, MBE
|
1933-34
|
E A Atkins
|
1934-35
|
C W Hill
|
1935-37
|
Sir Alexander Gibb GBE, CB
|
1937-42
|
Sir William Larke, KBE
|
1942-44
|
Sir Ralph Freeman
|
1994-46
|
W W Watt, CBE
|
1946-47
|
A Dyson
|
1947-48
|
J L Adam CBE
|
1948-49
|
J H Patterson
|
1949-50
|
O V S Bulleid, CBE
|
1950-51
|
C S Milne
|
1951-52
|
Howard J Thompson
|
1952-54
|
A Robert Jenkins JP
|
1954-55
|
R G Braithwaite
|
1955-56
|
R G Weddell
|
1956-58
|
Sir Charles S Lillicrap, KCB, MBE
|
1958-59
|
J Strong
|
1959-60
|
E Seymor-Semper
|
1960-61
|
E Fuchs
|
1961-62
|
H West
|
1962-63
|
W Barr, OBE
|
1963-65
|
L Redshaw
|
1965-66
|
Prof J G Ball
|
1966-67
|
Nicol Gross
|
1967-68
|
J F Lancaster
|
1968-71
|
Sir Kenneth Hague
|
1971-73
|
Prof Sir John Baker, OBE FRS
|
1973-75
|
A Robert Jenkins, CBE JP
|
1975-77
|
Sir Ralph Freeman, CVO, CBE
|
1977-79
|
Sir Leonard Redshaw
|
1979-81
|
M M Pennell, CBE, FRS
|
1981-83
|
Sir Dennis Rooke, CBE, FRS, FEng
|
1983-85
|
Sir Hugh Ford, FRS, FREng
|
1985-87
|
D R Lomer, CBE
|
1987-89
|
Rt Hon Lord Gregson
|
1989-90
|
Sir Monty Finniston, FRS, FEng
|
1991-93
|
Sir Robert Easton, CBE
|
1993-95
|
J G Collier
|
1995-98
|
Prof Sir B Crossland, CBE, FRS, FEng
|
1998-00
|
Professor B G Neal, FEng
|
2000-02
|
Prof B Mellitt, FREng
|
2002-04
|
Prof R Boucher, CBE, FREng
|
2004-06
|
Prof M F Burdekin, FREng FRS FWeldI
|
2006-08
|
Rt Hon the Lord Trefgarne PC
|
2008-11
|
Richard Sadler FREng FWeldI
|
2011-2014
|
John Baxter, FREng FRSE FWeldI
|
2014 - 2016
|
Bertil Pekkari HonFWeldI
|
2017 - 2019
|
Steve Dearden
|
2019 - 2022
|
Dave Holmes
|
2022 - current
|
Baroness Brown DBE FRS FRAeS FInstP CEng FREng
|