Within the Annual Report, read about our values, strategic goals, strategic enablers and vision for 2030.
President’s statement
A close colleague recently said that one's long-term
involvement in a programme is only transitory, and
we are merely stewards for the next generation;
striving to leave it, as a minimum, in a better state than
they found it. As I reflect on not just 2023, but on my
continuous 20-year voluntary service, and particularly
the last six years on the Trustee Board, I find these
sentiments to also be very true for IMechE.
Having a clear strategy is core to any organisation’s
success. So, for us, 2023 was a momentous year -
the dawn of a new beginning as we launched our new
IMechE Strategy 2030. We laid out what we aspire
to achieve, how we intend to succeed and, most
importantly, why. It is our vision of how to transform
IMechE into a “global, inclusive and digitally enabled
engineering community” to deliver our mission of
“improving the world through engineering”.
By 'improving', we mean continuously enhancing the
sustainability, safety, performance and reliability of
the world we engineer. By 'world', we mean the planet
and all its inhabitants, extending beyond humanity to
benefit all living things. By 'engineering', we embrace
its broadest sense, recognising it as multidisciplinary
rather than solely mechanical as we have known for
many decades.
We aspire to be truly global, not just a UK-based
charity with international members, and will do this
through developing international partnerships,
building communities of technicians and engineers
worldwide who can move easily to work through
reciprocal recognition of standards and accreditation.
Our vision is underpinned by our culture and defined
by four values – Inclusion, Integrity, Innovation, and
Impact. We are committed to creating a culture
where every member and employee knows they
belong, feels valued and can thrive, working in close
partnership. We want to ensure IMechE, and the wider
engineering profession, is welcoming to all people
with the right skills and knowledge, regardless of
their background.
Technicians and engineers are pivotal in finding
solutions to today’s major challenges, as we urgently
transition to a low carbon economy, and there is much
to be gained from skills transfer across different
sectors. Solving these challenges requires a diverse
blend of individuals to give rise to the innovation
that we all need to see. There is huge opportunity within both our existing and untapped talent pools,
especially given the increased frequency of reskilling
required due to rapid technological advancements.
This is as important as inspiring the next generation
to pursue careers in engineering.
And if we are to succeed, we must embrace a
'Digital First' approach. Our journey towards
creating the capabilities necessary to deliver all our
services in a digitally enabled way, aligning with our
global aspirations, is well underway. We are in the
development phase for many projects, with new
services already being rolled out.
We now have two very clear strategic goals
that define our purpose: the first is to “develop,
register, and support our members and the wider
engineering community to be their best to achieve
a more inclusive and sustainable world". This is
about ensuring we focus not only on acquiring new
members and helping them become professionally
registered, but also on supporting them and the
community throughout their whole lives.
Our second goal is to “maximise the impact of our
community to promote engineering, inform opinion
and stimulate innovation for the benefit of society”.
If the first goal is about helping individuals to be great
technicians or engineers, then the second is about
harnessing their expertise, skills and experience to
improve the world through engineering.
It has been so exciting for me this year to see firsthand
how our members and employees are working
in close partnership across the globe, providing
thought leadership, mentoring, support services
and knowledge sharing. I have been blown away by
the immense pride, passion, and enthusiasm I have
observed, and for that I am eternally grateful; thank
you. I genuinely believe we have improved IMechE,
and I look forward to continuing to support our
transformation as we continue to redefine what a
Professional Engineering Institution is.
Technicians and engineers will change the world,
like they have done ever since they existed. To our
members all over the planet. There is one simple
question to ask yourself: “What do I want to be?” We
want you to be the best technician or engineer you
can be, and we are here to help and support you.
Giles Hartill CEng FIMechE
138th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers