Conceived in the late 1960s, during the excitement of the Apollo programme and the buzz of Harold Wilson’s ‘white heat of technology’, the Royal Academy of Engineering was born in 1976, the year of Concorde’s first commercial flight. Since then, it has continued to champion excellence in all fields of engineering and honoured the UK’s most distinguished engineers along with those making an impact around the globe.
Origins
Initially called the Fellowship of Engineering, it had the enthusiastic backing of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became its Senior Fellow. The new Fellowship met for the first time on 11 June 1976 at Buckingham Palace, where 130 of the UK’s finest engineers were enrolled – people who over the course of their careers had literally changed the world. Engineers like the jet engine visionary Sir Frank Whittle, design guru Sir Ove Arup, radar pioneer Sir George MacFarlane, bouncing bomb inventor Sir Barnes Wallis, and Sir Maurice Wilkes, father of the UK computer industry. There were also people who were yet to do their greatest work, like Sir Frederick Warner, who would lead the first international inspection team into Chernobyl after the catastrophic meltdown in 1986. Lord Hinton, who had driven the UK’s supremacy in nuclear power, was appointed its first President.
Past Presidents
In its history, the Academy has had 10 presidents, including the current holder of the office, Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, who was elected in 2019. Each President is elected by the Governing Council to serve a term of usually five years.
1976 to 1981: Lord Hinton of Bankside OM KBE FRS FEng
1981 to 1986: Viscount Caldecote KBE DSC DL FREng
1986 to 1991: Sir Denis Rooke OM CBE FREng FRS
1991 to 1996: Sir William Barlow FREng
1996 to 2001: Sir David Davies CBE FREng FRS
2001 to 2006: Lord Broers FREng HonFMedSci FRS
2006 to 2011: Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS
2011 to 2014: Sir John Parker GBE FREng
2014 to 2019: Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS
2019 to present: Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE
Five Past Presidents with an Academy Royal Fellow. L-R: Lord Broers, Lord Browne, HRH The Duke of Kent, Sir William Barlow, Sir David Davies, Sir Denis Rooke