EIA president Ronald Halstead passes away

industry news
industry news

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTA) has announced the passing of Sir Ronald Halstead, president of the Engineering Industries Association (EIA).

Sir Ronald, who passed away at the age of 94, led the EIA for over 25 years and had a very distinguished career. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the food industry in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1976 and knighted in the Queens’ Birthday Honours in 1985.

Ronald Halstead
Ronald Halstead

He had honours degrees in natural sciences and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Companion of the British Institute of Management. He was awarded an Honorary DSc from the University of Reading in 1982 and the University of Lancaster in 1987. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of Queen’s College, Cambridge in 1985.

Sir Ronald joined the Beecham Group in 1954, and following appointments in the UK and US, became managing director (consumer products) and then chairman and chief executive in 1984-85.

Sir Ronald joined the Board of British Steel in 1979 and was deputy chairman from 1986 to 1994. His past appointments included: a trustee for Institute for Economic Affairs from 1980 to 1993; chairman of the Industrial Development Advisory Board of the Department of Trade and Industry from 1985 to 1993; chairman of CAB International from 1995 to 1998; council member of the University of Reading from 1978 to 1998; member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission from 1993 to 1999; member of the UKTI International Sectors Advisory Panel from 2001 to 2004; vice chairman and governor of Ashridge Management College from 1977 to 2006; deputy chairman of the Specialist Schools Trust until 2007.

His current appointments included: president of the Engineering Industries Association; patron, president and chairman for over 20 years of the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council; council member of the European Policy Forum.

MTA www.mta.org.uk

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