WES president Benita Mehra commented: “As we approach our centenary in 2019, I am delighted that Elizabeth Donnelly is joining WES as CEO. She has a strong track record of success embracing engineering, diversity and charities and is ideally suited to lead WES into our second century.”
After an early career in IT, Ms Donnelly graduated from the Open University, specialising in systems thinking. She worked with Rolls-Royce from 2005-2008 and was awarded Membership of the Royal Aeronautical Society as a result. She went on to lead skills policy for ADS Group, the trade association for aerospace, defence and security.
She chaired the RAeS Education and Skills Committee and was a founder member and later deputy chair of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee. From 2008-2011, Ms Donnelly was a non-executive director of the East Midlands Regional Development Agency. In 2013, she set-up her own consulting company working with charities and universities and graduated with an MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice from the Open University in 2017.
“I am delighted to be appointed chief executive at WES as we celebrate our centenary. I am really looking forward to working with our members, partners, other professional engineering institutions and the wider public to showcase the success of women engineers who have gone before us and those who will transform our future.”
During its centenary in 2019, WES will be undertaking a variety of national and local events and activities. These are in recognition of the many women who have made a significant contribution in the past, and to embrace future change where we expect to see more women working in engineering and related careers.
The 2019 WES centenary celebrations include: the WES Centenary Trail, the WES Centenary Annual Conference, ‘100 Violets’ – an activity being led by the WES Young Members’ Board, plus locally organised events. In addition to this, its annual campaign ‘International Women in Engineering Day’ (INWED) has the theme ‘30by30’, signifying the aim for 30% of the engineering workforce to be women by 2030.
Women’s Engineering Society www.wes.org.uk
