Ian Shott wins President Medal

IAN SHOTT, a former president of IChemE, will be awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s (RAEng) President Medal in recognition of his efforts fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

Described by the RAEng as one of its most prestigious medals, the award was given for Shott’s numerous contributions to the work of the academy, which have culminated in the creation of its Enterprise Hub. Shott served as chair of the Academy’s Enterprise Committee, and oversaw the launch of the Hub in 2013 through to its opening at the Taylor Centre earlier this year. The centre is based at the Academy’s headquarters in London, and provides space for Hub mentors and members to meet and develop their ideas.

“I get a real kick out of seeing high impact successes being created and realised. Working together with an impressive team of colleagues, we have been on a major journey to set up the Enterprise Hub. Now, with 52 new companies attracting over £36m [US$46.5m] of investment and creating circa 200 new high-grade jobs, we have seen some remarkable achievements in just a few short years.

“I am very grateful for this award that recognises the importance of making the UK a leading nation for engineering innovation.”

The President’s Medal recognises significant contribution to the Academy’s aims and initiative in promoting excellence in engineering. Shott will receive his medal at a ceremony in June. Previous winners include Apple’s senior vice president of design Sir Jonathan Ive.

Sir David Grant, chairman of the National Physical Laboratory, who nominated Shott for the award, said: “Ian Shott is eminently deserving of the President’s Medal for his exceptional contribution to the success of the Academy and his far-reaching influence on enterprise and engineering innovation in the UK. He has been an extraordinarily dynamic and effective Academy Fellow.”

Shott was elected a Fellow of the RAEng in 2008 and has since helped judge its renowned MacRobert Award and sat on the Academy’s Engineering Policy Committee, where he led an influential study on public procurement.

Shott served as IChemE president in 2009/10. He is a chemical engineering graduate of Imperial College London and has run businesses for multinationals including ICI and AstraZeneca.