SOE is overseen by our Trustee Board, who gain their places through annual elections, voted in by the membership.
Meet your Trustee Board members
Michael Sweetmore EngTech MSOE MIRTE
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.
Adam Fraser-Hitchen CEng FSOE FIRTE
President Elect
Formerly a long-term member of REME, Adam is an accomplished multi-disciplined engineer. Now running his own consultancy, Adam will be our President for the period 2021-2023.
Howard Seymour CEng CEnv FSOE FIPlantE FIRTE
Immediate Past President
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.
Shaun Stephenson EngTech FSOE FIRTE
Honorary Treasurer
Shaun Stephenson is our Honorary Treasurer. He was President of SOE from 2015-2017.
David Young IEng FSOE FBES
Chair of BES Professional Sector Council
David Young is the Chair of the BES Professional Sector Council.
Tony Robinson CEng MSOE MIRTE MIPlantE
Chair of IPlantE Professional Sector Council
Tony Robinson is the Chair of the IPlantE Professional Sector Council.
John Eastman EngTech CEnv FSOE FIRTE
Chair of IRTE Professional Sector Council
John is a knowledgeable transport engineer, with practical and leadership experience in the HGV and fleet engineering sectors. John currently runs his own consultancy.
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.
Ian Jackson CEng FSOE FIPlantE
Elected Board Member
Elected SOE Board Member, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge from Operations Engineer and Senior Management roles with a large energy company.
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.
Steve Catte IEng CEnv HonFSOE HonFIPlantE
Co-opted Board Member
Now retired after 37 years in the water industry in the engineering department of United Utilities. The positions held include Senior Mechanical Engineer and Wastewater Treatment Standards Manager.
Bruce McGill
Company Secretary, SOE
+44 (0) 20 7630 2126, bruce.mcgill@soe.org.uk
Formerly Director of Membership at Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and Head of Marketing at Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Bruce was appointed CEO of SOE in September 2018.