SOE is overseen by our Trustee Board, who gain their places through annual elections, voted in by the membership.
Meet your Trustee Board members

Adam Fraser-Hitchen CEng FSOE
President
A long-serving member of the British Army, Adam is a Chartered Engineer familiar with complex problem solving and leading successful teams. Adam will be Society President for the period 2021-2023.

Michael Sweetmore EngTech MSOE MIRTE
Immediate Past President
SOE's President for the period of 2019-2021.
Vastly experienced with over 34 years’ employment in the sector, Mick is currently employed by Merseyside Police in Liverpool as Head of Fleet Engineering and Transport Services.
President-elect at the Society of Operations Engineers having been involved in several capacities since 2009, Mick was Chairman of the IRTE Professional Sector Council from 2013-2015.
Mick has managed teams of up to 120 people, working with budgets of £15m over various disciplines. He has overseen entire fleet operations, delivered full vehicle specification requirements, and managed services in line with sustainable and cost-effective demands.
From 2004-2018 Mick was Head of Fleet Engineering Services at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Shaun Stephenson EngTech FSOE FIRTE
President Elect and Honorary Treasurer
Shaun Stephenson is our Honorary Treasurer and President Elect. He was President of SOE from 2015-2017.

Howard Seymour CEng CEnv FSOE FIPlantE FIRTE
Honorary Secretary
Howard Seymour was SOE's President for the period 2017-2019.
Actively involved with SOE for over 20 years at branch, centre and head office level, Howard is a Fellow, Chartered Engineer, and Chartered Environmentalist. Joining the Royal Air Force at 17 to train as an Aircraft Mechanic, then later as Technician, Howard gained a firm grounding of engineering from a practical sense, moving into a military career working on fast jet aircraft, its supporting equipment and support services in both the plant and operational environments. In 2003, a move into project management took Howard into technical based delivery projects on major aircraft capability upgrade programmes, as well as gaining a Masters in Project Management in Practice. More recently, Howard has been involved in significant business transformation projects with BAE SYSTEMS.

Tony Cockcroft EngTech MSOE MIRTE
Chair of IRTE Professional Sector Council
Tony Cockcroft is the Chair of IRTE Professional Sector Council

David Young IEng FSOE FBES
Chair of BES Professional Sector Council
David Young is the Chair of the BES Professional Sector Council.

Ian Jackson CEng FSOE FIPlantE
Chair of IPlantE and Operations Professional Sector Councils
Elected SOE Board Member, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge from Operations Engineer and Senior Management roles with a large energy company.

Chris Grime EngTech CEnv FSOE FIRTE
Chair of IRTE Services Ltd
Chris is currently employed by Veolia as Head of Fleet, North, and brings a wealth of knowledge about fleet operations and maintenance to the SOE Trustee Board.

Alistair Reid IEng CEnv FSOE FBES
Chair of Membership and Professional Standards Committee
Alistair is a well-respected engineer surveyor working for Allianz where he has been employed for over 17 years.

John Eastman EngTech CEnv FSOE FIRTE
Elected Board Member
John is a knowledgeable transport engineer, with practical and leadership experience in the HGV and fleet engineering sectors. John currently runs his own consultancy.

Tony Jolliffe MSOE MIRTE
Elected Board Member
Tony is an Elected Board Member and Chairman S&B Automotive Academy.

Garry Gilby IEng CEnv FSOE FIPlantE FIRTE FBES
Elected Board Member
Former President of SOE, Gary is an elected board member and health & safety specialist in the rail and events industries.

Daniella Rathke MSOE MIRTE
Co-opted Member
Daniela gained her qualifications as a commercial vehicle electrician and mechanic in 2000 after three and a half years as an apprentice. Trialling the new combined qualification, Daniela was the first female apprentice to complete the qualification in the bus and coach sector in Hamburg.
In 2004, Daniela came to Birmingham to work for Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) as a Vehicle Inspector and progressed to Professional and Technical Officer (PTO) shortly after. In 2008, Daniela became the lead trainer for the commercial and internal training at a centre in Bristol, before leaving in 2011 to launch her own business, Vehicle Inspection and Training Services, which delivers irtec accreditations.

Caroline Harries MSOE MIRTE
Co-opted Member
An advocate of professional engineering, Caroline encourages the benefits of careers in the sector, especially for young women, and promotes associated professions to ensure standards are maintained.
The current Chairperson of the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers, Caroline has a long history of supporting the road transport sector and has previously served both at regional level for the IRTE and on the Society Board.
Experienced in business, in both the private and public sectors, Caroline is a team player and highly motivated individual, able to demonstrate practical, operational, and personal management skills. Caroline has experience of training teams on change management, prioritising and allocating workloads, and managing regulatory requirements in business and voluntary sector organisations.

Satnam Cheema IENG FSOE FIRTE
Co-opted Member
A trained engineer with over 40 years’ experience across internationally recognised leading operators in road transport.
As Group Engineering Director for Tower Transit Group, Satnam is responsible for engineering departments and building infrastructure at several sites in the UK and Singapore, which includes the service and maintenance of approximately 600 vehicles and an annual turnover of more than £200 million.
Satnam has overall responsibility for the operation of the engineering function, depot infrastructure and risk management, and is trusted with the health and safety of employees, passengers and pedestrians affected by business operations.