TWI Council, Boards and Committees

TWI Council

TWI is governed by a Council consisting of elected and co-opted representatives from Member companies and Professional Members. This council and its committees represent the interests of TWI stakeholders, appointing and delegating authority to the Chief Executive, Boards and Committees.

_{Fig.1. The Welding Institute governance structure}

Chair

Claire Kimpton

Claire Kimpton is a Welding Engineer and Welding Capability Lead at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgy and a Doctorate in Materials Science from the University of Birmingham.

Following the completion of her academic studies, Claire established her career in welding engineering within the power generation sector. She has gained extensive experience supporting maintenance shutdowns across nuclear and thermal power plants, as well as oil and gas and petrochemical facilities, both within the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2021, she joined UKAEA as a Welding Engineer and serves as a welding subject matter expert and technical authority for the United Kingdom’s national fusion research programme.

Claire became a Professional Member of The Welding Institute (TWI) in 2013. After active involvement in regional branch activities in the West Midlands, she was appointed to the Institute’s Professional Board in 2018, subsequently serving as Chair for four years. In 2020, she was elected to the Institute’s Council, its governing body, and was appointed Chair of Council in the past year.

Claire possesses a strong technical background in welding, joining, and manufacturing processes and is committed to advancing the profession. She is particularly passionate about supporting the development of future engineering talent and promoting careers in engineering among young people.

Vice Chair

Annelyse Fournier 

Annelyse is the Founder and CEO of AIF London Limited and AIF Advisory - FCZO in Dubai, an independent Reward and Leadership Advisory Practice that focuses on CSuite and Board Remuneration, Organization Transformation for IPO, M&A or corporate restructuring, and start-up. With over 20 years’ experience of C-Suite and Board Remuneration in multi-cultural and multinational environments she advises across industry from FMCG, Biotech, Financial Services, FinTech, Family Office, Private Equity.She is the Interim Chief Operating Officer for PDX and PDX BEAM, supporting an innovative blockchain payment solution startup project.

She holds Non-Executives Board roles: Director and Board member of the Grosvenor Waterside Residents Company (London) and Vice Chair of Council and member of Audit Committee at The Welding Institute (TWI - Cambridge).

Her passion for education led her to serve as a school Governor at Chesterton Primary School (Wandsworth) and she has close ties with Sophia Women an organization that specializes in financial education for women. She is also the Founder of Lime & Zest Wellness, a nutrition and wellness start-up. She holds an MBA and is qualified Nutrition and Wellness coach, fluent in French and English with good knowledge of Italian and German.

A personal note

"My grandmother is the most influential person in my life and my hero. She was unjudgmental, selfless and although life was difficult, she was the most generous person creating wonders out of little and she always encouraged me to do better and be better person. Today, I am sharing my experience and giving back. I do believe in education, health, financial autonomy and the power of making your own decisions."

Council Members

Chris Palmer, Industrial Member

Chris Palmer works for AWE as Group Finance Director. Chris joined Council in July 2024 and is an Industrial Member. He is currently the Chair of Audit Committee.

David Panni, Industrial Member

Head of AI - JCB. Chief Engineer -Structures - JCB. As a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Fellow of the IMechE and member of TWeldI, I bring over two decades of experience driving transformative solutions in the Off-Highway, Earthmoving, and Construction vehicle sectors. Leading JCB's global Structures division for 20 years, I have spearheaded a world-class international team of Stress Engineers, delivering technical excellence and robust support across international markets. My expertise spans the full spectrum of Stress and Structures Engineering, with a proven track record in design, analysis, and rigorous testing of large welded steel fabrications.

My career is defined by a passion for innovation, evidenced by pioneering the adoption of real-time multi-domain Virtual Machines (Digital Twins) that accelerate product development and prioritise customer needs. I am a vocal advocate for digital transformation, successfully challenging conventional methods. My deep-rooted commitment to AI and Machine Learning began with my PhD, and I have consistently leveraged these technologies to generate intellectual property and create generative design solutions. Recently, I have led JCB's AI initiatives, deploying creative, investigative approaches to introduce cutting-edge AI across various domains.

Beyond technical achievements, I offer corporate governance and strategic insight through my Non-Executive Director role at TWI and as Chair of the UK NAFEMS Steering Committee. Whether you are seeking a dynamic leader to drive innovation or a specialist consultant to tackle complex engineering challenges, I am ready to deliver impactful results and shape the future of your organisation.

Duncan Steel, Industrial Member

Duncan Steel is currently Group Director – Technology, Digital and Innovation at Amentum.  Here he leads a team researching and developing a wide range of engineering solutions in support of client critical missions.  Previously he was Chief Technology Officer at Sellafield Ltd, from 2017 to 2021 following a career in Rolls-Royce Plc of over 25 years. He was responsible at Sellafield for broad Research and Development portfolio, Technical Assurance, Innovation Strategy and the functional leadership for Technical, Digital and ICT staff.  His career at Rolls-Royce saw Duncan have key roles across Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Programme Management, Business Development and Transformation/Change. Duncan has also worked as an Associate Consultant to Deloitte in their Supply Chain Practice.  He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southampton University and a MBA from the Open University. He also has a Coaching qualification from The OCM Group.

With a core career focusing around the design, development and manufacture of high integrity aerospace products, Duncan led the Rolls-Royce Strategic Research Centre from 2011 in tandem with developing a group wide Innovation Strategy. In 2019 Duncan was recognised with a Top 100 Manufacturer award in the categories of Inspirational Leader and Driver of Cultural Change. He was previously Co-Chair of the Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning Research Forum and a member on both the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Research Board and National Nuclear Laboratory Technical Advisory Board. He was also a member of the UKAEA Programme Advisory Committee and has previously sat on research governance boards with both the Rolls-Royce Advanced Technology Centre (Singapore) and Pusan National University Technology Centre (Korea).

Gareth Hopkin, Professional Member

Gareth Hopkin works for the Office for Nuclear Regulation as a Nuclear Inspector.  Gareth joined Council in March 2021 and is a Professional Member. He is currently the Chair of Professional Board and also sits on the QHSE Committee and the Committee of the United Kingdom Section of the International Institute of Welding (IIW).

Graham Holloway, Professional Member

Graham obtained a degree in metallurgy at the University of Surrey and his first role was as a Research Engineer at TWI in the Arc Welding Department, which was headed by Professor Bill Lucas. After four years at TWI Graham moved into arc welding consumable production, firstly at T&R Welding in Guildford, then Metrode Products Ltd in Chertsey and currently works at I.A.Barnes & Co Ltd in Stevenage.

Since 1991 Graham has gained widespread experience in the manufacture of arc welding consumables for SMAW/MMA, FCAW and solid wires for GMAW/GTAW/SAW processes. Started at Metrode Products Ltd in 1994 as a Technical Support Engineer and became Technical Director in 2005 and is currently Technical Director at I.A.Barnes & Co Ltd.

Demonstrable technical skills and expertise in arc welding of wide range of alloys including low alloy, creep resisting CrMo, austenitic stainless steels, duplex stainless steels, superaustenitic stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels, nickel base and high carbon austenitic alloys.

Experience in consumable manufacture for all major arc welding consumables including SMAW, FCAW and solid wires for GTAW/GMAW/SAW. Experience with clients across power generation, offshore, oil and gas, refineries, LNG and nuclear; providing welding engineering support across these industries with knowledge of relevant codes and standards (eg. ASME, EN ISO & RCC-M).

Graham has written numerous technical marketing publications and conference papers, as well as contributing to many customer seminars.

Graham is registered Eur Eng and CEng and is a Senior Member of The Welding institute.

Joseph McGee, Professional Member

I first became interested in welding at 14 years old and I have largely stayed in this field of Engineering throughout my career. While not taking the conventional academic route, through part time programmes, I’ve achieved a Master’s Degree in Adavanced Metallurgy from the University of Sheffield and I enjoy Professor status with the University of Strathclyde. Presently, I’m Head of Special Processes and significant technical projects for Rolls-Royce Submarines.

Being a Non-Executive Director for TWI is for me, a career highlight. Having worked with many of the TWI Engineers and manage teams plus studied there for 3 years, it’s a fantastic opportunity to help steer our Institute to a strong and prosperous future. My mantra - it was there for me, and I fully intend to ensure it’s there for future generations.   

Morten Torp, Co-opted

Morten Torp is an experienced finance leader with a background spanning banking, insurance, manufacturing and corporate finance. His career combines financial management, commercial insight and operational understanding, enabling him to drive performance, stability and strategic development in complex organisations.
He has held senior roles focused on financial leadership, restructuring and business optimisation, often in environments undergoing significant change. His approach is characterised by structure, clarity and the ability to create progress where broad competence is required.
With a Cand.Merc.Aud and certification as an International Welding Engineer (IWE), Morten bridges financial governance with technical and production-oriented disciplines, contributing effectively at the intersection of engineering and strategic decision-making.

Morten brings strong competencies in financial strategy, accounting, risk management and business development. His experience across both SMEs and international organisations provides a broad perspective on aligning financial performance with long-term strategic goals.

He has deep technical insight into manufacturing, construction and welding engineering, enabling him to evaluate engineering driven initiatives with both commercial and technical understanding.He is particularly strong in turnaround situations, where his analytical mindset, structured leadership style and ability to create clarity are essential to restoring direction and momentum.

Peter Stones, Professional Member

Over 40 years experience in senior engineering roles for multi national companies in several different market sectors; lead smelting, corrugated packaging, forged parts and welding. For the last 17 years in the sector of welding consumables as a technical expert on the topic of stainless steel and nickel alloy grades.

Retired from full time work in 2025.

His Qualifications include: CEng, IWE/EWE, BEng(hons). He is a guest lecturer at Cranfield University on their MSc Welding course.

Rob Mitchell, Industrial Member

Rob is the Director of Engineering for ITP Aero in the UK. He is accountable for the Fan & Combustion Systems Operating Unit and also Installations Operating Unit for ITP globally. He joined ITP in 2021 after nearly 20 years at Rolls-Royce where he worked across a variety of Research & Technology, Programmes, Functional, Operating and Supply Chain Engineering roles covering both Civil Aerospace and Nuclear.

He has a PhD in Materials from the University of Cambridge and a First Class Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Leicester.

In his current role he is responsible for design and manufacturing engineering across six domestic sites and four countries. In addition working with Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney and General Electric

Rob has a vast of experience in high integrity engineering leadership positions covering both aerospace and nuclear sectors across full product life cycles. He has served on numerous Advisory Groups, Governance and Industrial Boards with the underlying themes of Advanced Engineering, Strategy and Education.

He is also committed to championing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace having co-founded the Be You group within ITP and been the recipient of a Royal Academy of Engineering Inclusive Leadership Programme Award.

He has over twenty published papers and a similar number of granted patents covering advanced alloys, joining techniques, inspection technologies and novel manufacturing routes.

Pheobe Greenwood, Co-opted Member

Pheobe is an experienced lawyer and governance professional with a career developed in multi-jurisdictional operations within technology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and scientific research organisations. She currently serves as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary for Xaar plc, a FTSE listed inkjet technology group, where she forms part of the Executive Board, providing strategic counsel on corporate governance, regulatory compliance and risk management, and leads legal operations across Xaar’s international sites.

Pheobe brings extensive hands-on experience as Company Secretary in the implementation, development and maintenance of corporate governance frameworks including board/committee administration, statutory compliance, regulatory reporting obligations and stakeholder engagement. She advises the board on conflicts of interest, directors’ duties, market abuse regulations and governance standards, alongside leading complex regulatory investigations and compliance audits. Her risk management experience extends to developing comprehensive risk management processes, insurance programme oversight, crisis response protocols and internal control frameworks for risk management.

Mandar Thakare, Industrial Member 

Dr Mandar Thakare is Industry (Associate) Director for bp’s International Centre for Advanced Materials (bp-ICAM), where he leads a $100M global research partnership spanning leading academic institutions and collaborators. He is responsible for a multidisciplinary innovation portfolio, ensuring alignment with bp’s technology strategy and delivering measurable business value from research investments. He joined bp in 2019 as Materials Science Programme Manager and was appointed Associate Director in 2021.
Prior to bp, Mandar was an Innovation Programme Lead at Element Six Ltd., where he led multi-site, global teams in the development and commercialisation of advanced polycrystalline diamond technologies for oil and gas applications.
Earlier in his career, he held a postdoctoral research position at the University of Oxford in collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc, focusing on gas turbine materials and sealing systems. He began his industry career at Schlumberger plc, developing wearand corrosion-resistant materials solutions for globally deployed downhole drilling systems.

Dr Mandar Thakare has over 18 years of experience in materials engineering, innovation strategy, and new product development, with a strong track record of translating advanced science into scalable, commercially differentiated solutions. His work focuses on bridging research, business priorities, and technology adoption—enabling organisations to deliver innovation with clear purpose and measurable impact. He brings deep expertise in materials performance, manufacturing, and industrial applications, consistently aligning R&D investments with strategic objectives to drive competitive advantage and long-term value.

His technical foundation includes postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, where he generated fundamental insights into degradation mechanisms in advanced seal and material systems under engine-representative conditions, supporting Rolls-Royce Trent engine programmes. He led advanced characterisation and modelling of failure mechanisms, contributing to performance prediction and design improvement.
In industry, he has led high-impact innovation programmes across the full development lifecycle. At Element Six, he directed the development and commercialisation of next-generation polycrystalline diamond and tungsten carbide technologies, delivering step-change performance improvements and successful scale-up into manufacturing through close collaboration with customers and operations. Earlier at Schlumberger, he identified and qualified advanced coatings and materials solutions for globally deployed drilling tools, working with new suppliers and technologies to enhance performance and reliability.

Martyn Fletcher, Industrial Member 

Martyn graduated from Leeds University with a degree in metallurgy, then joined ESAB Group UK based in Waltham Cross. Martyn then joined Babcock Construction Ltd as a Welding Engineer, supporting new build construction, manufacturing as well as repair and maintenance activities across thermal and nuclear power generation, downstream oil and gas and process industries. As the organisation re-branded to Babcock Energy, Mitsui Babcock and Doosan Babcock, Martyn took on numerous roles from technical management & leadership, general management, implementation of change and strategic resource planning. Martyn now works in the defence sector leading welding and high integrity metallic processes.

Martyn has been heavily involved in the development and grow of welding skills for UK industry having been involved in the writing, development and delivery of vocational qualifications and apprenticeships since 1996. He re-established the company apprenticeship scheme and adult upskilling programs in 2003 as well as leading the Employer Opportunity Program for Welding Skills that brought 500 additional training interventions and two new vocational qualifications in anticipation for the nuclear renaissance. His involvement has included board level appointments for ECITB, NSAN and NSANM as well as the Welding Trailblazer committee.

Whilst working Martyn has completed the MSc in Welding & Fabrication at Cranfield as well as an MBA gaining Chartered Engineer status and Fellow of both The Welding Institute and the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining. He has extensive technical experience in arc welding of wide range of alloys including high strength low alloy steels, creep resisting steels, stainless steels (austenitic, duplex, martensitic types), aluminium alloys, nickel alloys and copper-nickel alloys. This includes welding and metallurgy considerations from conceptual design, through construction, repair to plant life extension, covering multiple international codes and standards.

Whilst working Martyn has completed the MSc in Welding & Fabrication at Cranfield as well as an MBA gaining Chartered Engineer status and Fellow of both The Welding Institute and the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining.

Shaping the skills landscape has included establishing in-house training delivery and assessment teams, supporting industry wide initiatives such as Assuring Competence in Engineering Construction, advising on skills shortages and mobilising of international skills to global projects.

Paul Warwick, Professional Member 

Paul Warwick, a chartered engineer, spent most of his career in the international oil and gas industry. Starting in projects, moving in to commercial, operational, business development and increasingly more senior general management full P&L roles. Since 2015 he has been a NED, chair, and advisor with a number of companies.Currently, a member of council (director) of the Welding Institute, he is chair of North Sea Mid-Stream Partners, and a founding Director at Well-Safe Solutions, he was previously chair at Ardyne Technologies, Executive chair at Whalsay Energy, chair at Andalas Energy and a member and chair of the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine. He spent thirty-one years at ConocoPhillips Inc., latterly as regional president in The Middle East and North Africa and subsequently Europe and Africa. He ended his executive career at Talisman Energy Inc. where he was the Executive Vice President with responsibility for the company head office technical functions and the operational businesses in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

Starting his career as a shipyard apprentice, he graduated from Cranfield Institute of Technology with an M.Sc. in Welding Technology. Initially his work in projects involved, welding engineering, materials engineering and corrosion engineering in Norway and the UK. His subsequent general management roles involved being fully responsible for multi-faceted large businesses in Trinidad, Nigeria and Indonesia. His regional roles have involved countries as diverse as Libya, Syria, Abu Dhabi, Columbia, Iraqi Kurdistan, UK, and Norway.He is a Fellow of the Welding Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects, and a Fellow of the Energy Institute. He has been Operator chair of Oil and Gas UK, President Director (chair) of the Indonesia Petroleum Association, and Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago. He led the government/industry committee to determine whether the UK oil and gas industry should have its own approach to technology development and became the first chair of the oil and gas industry Technology Leadership Board. He was also a member of the Scottish First Minister’s Energy Advisory Board. He has sat on various private, public, charity, and joint venture boards as a chair and NED and led various subcommittees including safety, audit, ethics and people and remuneration.

Dr. ir. Zeeshan F. Lodhi

Dr. ir. Zeeshan F. Lodhi is an internationally recognized expert in asset integrity and corrosion engineering with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He holds a PhD and MS in Materials Science & Engineering from TU Delft, the Netherlands and has built a global career spanning Europe and the Middle East.
He has held technical and leadership roles with major international energy organizations, including Shell Global Solutions (Amsterdam), Saudi Aramco, OQ8 Refinery in Oman, and Dolphin Energy Ltd. in Qatar. These roles have involved responsibility for integrity, corrosion, and reliability functions across complex refining, gas processing, and LNG operations.
Dr. Lodhi currently serves as Senior Manager at Dolphin Energy Qatar, where he oversees integrity and reliability programs supporting LNG operations. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and technical assurance for critical assets in a high-consequence operating environment.

Dr. Lodhi’s expertise lies in asset integrity management and corrosion engineering, supported by a strong academic foundation in materials science. He is a certified NACE Specialist, a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion (FICorr), and holds multiple API certifications, as well as lead auditor credentials.He has extensive experience leading integrity and reliability programs for large-scale oil and gas and LNG facilities, ensuring alignment with international standards and industry best practices. His career reflects long-term involvement in high-level technical decision-making and governance across owner-operator organizations.In addition to his industrial leadership, Dr. Lodhi is an active contributor to technical knowledge dissemination. He is a published researcher, patents holder, and co-author of the Handbook of Materials Science Research, reflecting his commitment to technical excellence and innovation.

Jonathan Craven, Industrial Member

10 years I led the growth of the Telfordbusiness—doubling sales, improving profitability and operational performance, whilemaintaining a strong focus on Employee Engagement, Health and Safety and Quality.In 2022, I was appointed Senior Director of Engineering and Technology for Howmet’sIndustrial Fastener Division, supporting global applications across multiple markets andleading engineering and technology strategy.

Relevant skills and experience: Operations and operational leadership, manufacturing processes and continuous improvement, engineering leadership across product, process and application, mechanical joining technology in industrial applications, governance awareness, including risk management, ethics and compliance Strong focus on employee engagement, health and safety, and organisational culture, mentoring and developing individuals

Daniel Clark, Professional Member 

Dr Daniel Clark FWeldI, MIM3, CEng serves on TWI Council as a Non-Executive Director.  On Council, Daniel is serving a second term as Vice Chair of the Research Board.  Before this he served six years on TWI’s Professional Board. Daniel works for Rolls-Royce as a Business Specialist in Systems Engineering.

Contact: Julie Bishop, contactus@twi.co.uk