The role played by operations engineers in driving resilience and safety across the engineering sphere, was celebrated at the SOE‘s Safety and Resilience Engineering Awards 2024, held on 17 October at the ThinkTank, Birmingham Science Museum.
The event was attended by more than 70 industry professionals and was hosted by Roger Atkins, founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook and creator of the documentary series ‘Motorsport in the Electric Age’.
Among the highlights were Flavia Popescu from Babcock International Group picking up two awards – Future Leader and the Helix award.
Stagecoach was also a double winner, as Peter Collins picked up the Road Transport Engineer of the Year award, and Stagecoach East won People Development Champion. The Volunteer of the Year award was shared by Mike Ponsonby, from MJ Ponsonby, and George Haywood from AO.
Engineering Company of the Year went to Bureau Technical Inspection Services, while the SOE Region of the Year was won by IRTE Ireland North. The SOE’s longstanding supporter and trustee board member Ian Macdonald was awarded an Honorary Fellowship.
During his opening keynote, SOE chair Howard Seymour said: “By celebrating excellence in these areas, the SOE Safety and Resilience in Engineering Awards not only play a role by recognising their achievements, but they also act as a key identifier and focal point for improving future delivery, by achieving safer and more resilient sustainable engineering practices.”
SOE’s executive director Emma Thompson also celebrated the work of professional engineers and innovative engineering businesses.
She said: “What lies at the heart of SOE is not just a commitment to standards or best practices … but a dedication to empowering the people behind these roles. It’s the engineers and technicians responsible for maintenance, operations and safety who bring expertise, passion and purpose to their work every single day.”
Meanwhile, SOE membership and professional standards lead Robin Bates also announced the launch of the SOE‘s new mentoring scheme. “This platform will connect engineers at all stages of their careers, enabling the exchange of knowledge, experience, and support,” he said. “It offers our members a valuable opportunity to engage, learn and grow – both personally and professionally.”
The event was sponsored by DAF Trucks, the Road Haulage Association (RHA), Beverley Bell Consulting, Net Zero Week 2025 and Energy Security and Green Infrastructure Week 2024. It was supported by the Safety Assessment Federation, Society for the Environment and irtec.
BOX: WINNERS
Environmental Engineer of the Year
Fuk Hung Wong CEng CEnv FSOE FIPlantE,
Majestic Engineering Company
Road Transport Engineer of the Year
Peter Collins AMSOE MIRTE, Stagecoach
Plant Engineer of the Year
Dr Bishnujee Singh FSOE FIPlantE,
Cayley Aerospace
Engineer Surveyor of the Year
Peter Jacobs EngTech MSOE MBES,
Zurich Engineering
Future Leader
Flavia Popescu FAPM CMgr FCMI EngTech,
Babcock International Group
Safety Specialist of the Year
Dr Veera Kumar Mohan CEng MSOE MIPlantE,
Abu Dhabi Vocational Education
and Training Institute
Volunteer of the Year (shared by)
Mike Ponsonby MSOE MIPlantE MIRTE,
MJ Ponsonby
George Haywood EngTech FSOE FIRTE, AO
SOE Region of the Year
IRTE Ireland North
Engineering Company of the Year
Bureau Technical Inspection Services
Safety Innovation of the Year
Roller Brake Test Accreditation
People Development Champion
Stagecoach East
Helix Award (celebrating resilience during times of adversity)
Flavia Popescu, Babcock International Group
Honorary Fellowship
Ian Macdonald
