On the evening of 14th November, we held our Annual Dinner – and we’re delighted to say that we had a full house, almost at capacity. The theme of the evening was “Innovation and Enterprise”, a theme which was used by our three speakers to thoroughly entertain and inform guests.
The first of our three speakers, Dr Andy Pearson will be president of IESIS next year and he provided us with a presentation on one of Scotland’s influential innovators, William Rankine. Given that Rankine also enjoyed writing comedic songs – it turns out Andy is also a bit of a songbird as he gave us a special performance of one of them.
Professor Keith Ridgway CBE followed, providing a useful insight into the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland, outlining the scale, impact it has on the economy and future potential. The professor also kindly toasted the Incorporation of Hammermen.
Our final speaker was Margaret Gibson OBE and deputy CEO of the Ernst and Young Foundation, the charitable arm of the global accountancy firm. She provided us with an insight into the work of the foundation and the importance of providing opportunities for people to contribute to society – objectives which are very much aligned with the aims of the Hammermen and Trades House. The speeches ended with Margaret toasting the Toast to the Trades House.
We were also delighted to be joined by our esteemed counterparts from across Scotland. Deacons James Mcharg of the Irvine Hammermen, Brian Hunt of the Paisley Hammermen and Robert Reuben of the Edinburgh Hammermen joined our festivities.
One of the main purposes of the evening, besides us all coming together, is to present the awards for the Prince Philip Prize. The award winners were as follows:
The
Prince Philip Prize winner in the University category
Arran Prothero
University of Strathclyde
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
The
Prince Philip Prize winner in the College category
Jake Farish
Glasgow Kelvin College
HND in Mechanical Engineering, now studying Mechanical Engineering at Glasgow
Caledonian University
The
Prince Philip Prize, in conjunction with Scottish Engineering
This prize is
awarded to an engineer who has demonstrated outstanding quality in the
application of knowledge or innovation to their employer’s business. There is a
winner and a runner up in this category.
Winner
Angus Moodie
Aggreko PLC
Runner
up
Nikola Felbab
Babcock
The wine continued to flow and a fabulous evening was had by all. Next year’s dinner will be held on November 16th 2020 to avoid clashing with the Climate Change Congress being held in Glasgow. Tickets will be on sale over the coming months. Please speak to council members for more information.
I would like to thank you for your support and we, on the committee, look forward to seeing you over the next year. Keep your eyes peeled on the Hammermen and Trades House websites for info on upcoming events throughout the year.