IMechE president Patrick Kniveton
You have been IMechE president since last May – what have been the highlights in your role so far?
When I started, I wanted to see as many small firms as I could. And I have been thrilled with what I have seen. Small companies are hotbeds of innovation, and many have been taking on new staff.
Some of the stand-outs include the variable transmission company Torotrak, which has been innovating away, carrying out terrific work, on an industrial estate in the North West. Next door to Torotrak is Clean Air Power, which has been working on natural gas-powered trucks.
These companies are designing and making products in Britain – yet who would know about them? There is excellent work being done all over the country.
What other visits have you really enjoyed?
Another high point was walking around the Sizewell nuclear complex in Suffolk. I spotted a panel that I designed 20 years earlier. I could see the fruits of my labour. It was still helping to deliver clean and reliable power.
As well as boosting the profile of small firms, another theme of your presidency is to instil pride in engineers. Have you managed to get that message across?
Yes, I think my ‘proud to be an engineer’ message is starting to lift off. I’ve heard it quoted by Philip Greenish, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering. And Graham Skinner, master engineer at the Worshipful Company of Engineers, mentioned it in a speech. It was also quoted in our membership subscription literature.
It hasn’t resonated outside the engineering community yet – or at least not as much as I would like. So I might be venturing onto Twitter soon to help get the message out there.
What about status? That’s still something that bothers engineers, judging by the number of letters we get on the subject in PE
Engineers have got to stop being negative about their own profession and status. I heard it from a senior engineering director last month – he said “I’m a chartered engineer but I don’t have status in this country, unlike in Germany”. My heart sank.
I saw a letter in PE that said “Let’s stop whingeing, stop complaining about the washing machine fitter being called an engineer”. Be positive, tell people you are chartered, explain what ‘chartered engineer’ means.
That’s the message I want to leave – stop doing yourselves down. Stand proud, behave like a professional, and people will
respect you.
Do you think that politicians get the message about how important engineering is to the economy?
Absolutely. And I think this institution has been core to that. We have continually battered on their doors. You could argue it’s one of the plus effects of the 2008 crash.
We’ve got to get ourselves out of this mess, and one way of doing that is through engineering. There should be a lot more technical minds at the heart of government.
Let’s talk about the IMechE. One measure of health is membership numbers, and these have been going through the roof. Can that trend continue?
It’s a personal ambition of mine to see the IMechE increase its membership number to 150,000 in five years. And why not? We’ve grown from 75,000 to 100,000 quicker than we expected, and are at around 106,000. So it’s onwards and upwards.
What’s the benefit of a bigger membership?
We are more representative of the overall profession. A lot of that growth will come internationally. There are people in places such as the Middle East saying “We respect the UK standards for engineers, and we want some of that, please”.
So there is huge demand and we are working hard to satisfy that. Why would we not want to grow?
Engineering technician numbers are on the rise. How important is it that the IMechE continues to attract EngTechs?
I am delighted that engineering technicians are being professionally registered. Let’s welcome them in – we need them. We are all part of the family and it makes for a great profession. We need to be inclusive.
One member criticism of the IMechE in the past is that it hasn’t spoken with a loud enough voice. Has that changed?
IMechE is now the go-to institution for any engineering story in the news, as evidenced by the massively successful report Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not last year. The institution’s in-house communications team recently won the CorpComms Award for the best PR campaign by a not-for-profit organisation in recognition of the volume and breadth of media coverage garnered globally for this report.
The institution has experienced a step change in the amount of media coverage it generates. Our coverage has grown from £1 million 10 years ago, to £20 million in 2013. People often say: “I saw Tim Fox, or Philippa Oldham, or Colin Brown from the institution on television.” It’s reassuring that it’s not just us telling members we’re in the media: they can see it for themselves.
It would be great to get our institution’s name regularly in The Sun. It’s the biggest-selling daily newspaper in the UK, and I think it does a great job. The core news is the same as that in The Guardian or The Times, just in a different format. If we could get the institution in there, we would have arrived.
The IET is at One Birdcage Walk while its home is upgraded. Has the proximity of the organisations led to more collaboration?
There have been successes, but not as many as I would have liked. It’s early days yet. We are still getting to know each other. There is a warm feeling between both sets of trustees, we get on well, we’ve all got the same outlook.
But it’s surprising how difficult it is to get different organisations to come out with a common message in the timescales that the media needs. It takes time. We have some good work going on – so I am optimistic about the future.
Do you think the IMechE and the IET will merge one day?
That’s the age-old question. Who knows? I wouldn’t bet on or against it. Let’s take a step at a time through closer working. We need to present a combined voice to government on skills, careers and so on.
You have around five months left of your presidency. What is there left to achieve?
I want to continue with the ‘proud to be an engineer’ message. I want to ensure this institution remains at the forefront of the profession – I think it’s one of the most dynamic and vigorous organisations, despite our relatively small staff size.
I’m trusting in my successors to maintain this dynamism and vigour, ready for change. I’m also looking forward to getting around the country, going to see more small businesses. And I’m going to India.
And from a personal perspective, how has the role changed you?
I’ve enjoyed becoming a better public speaker. I think I have grown in the role. I think I am much more outward-facing now, and it has helped me recognise my strengths.
How might those attributes impact on your future career? Maybe there’s a role for you in politics
I would love to be involved in some way – whether I have left it a bit too late is for others to decide. There is a role for far more engineers and experienced business people in politics. If I can contribute in that way, that would be terrific.
I’ve met a few MPs and, despite what people say about them in the press, all have been highly committed people working hard – across all parties.