ABOUT US
The Society of Professional Engineers is a Company Limited by Guarantee under The Companies Acts and it has its offices at
Lutyens House, Billing Brook Road, Weston Favell, Northampton, NN3 8NW
Telephone/Fax: 01604 415729
E-mail: spe@abe.org.uk
A brief outline of the Society’s history can be found by clicking on this LINK
Society’s legal constitution is set out in detail in this website
The Society is a professional body run by a volunteer Council with a President, two Vice Presidents, a Secretary/Treasurer and six ordinary Council Members. It has members in the UK and worldwide ranging from Australia, Hong Kong and South Africa.
The Society is honoured to be supported by three Vice Chancellors as its honorary officers:
The Earl of Lytton
The Earl of Yarborough
Lord Alistair Nelson of Stafford
The Society’s Officers are as follows:
PRESIDENT
Ing P Eur Dr Hugh Wynne
BSc, MSc, PhD, CEng, PEng, MIET, MBCS, MinstMc, CITP, CSci,
FSPE
103, New City Road. Glasgow, Scotland, G4 9JX
Cambridge war-born (in 1944), London raised, & Public Schooled, Hugh Wynne graduated
in Wales & Birmingham.
Following University research, he worked in Patent Agency in
London, before relocating to Newcastle upon Tyne to work on telecommunications engineering
for the Tyne & Wear Metro, then under construction.
He then moved to Glasgow, Scotland,
to work on motorway & road traffic signalling, surveillance, & control for Strathclyde
Region.
After some years, he returned to Newcastle upon Tyne to work for WSP Consulting
Engineers on motorway & other telecommunications engineering projects, including
a spell on secondment to the Government Department of Transport in Surrey.
Hugh Wynne
then returned to Glasgow, to work for Railtrack, later Network Rail, on telecommunications
engineering throughout Scotland.
Now retired, he maintains his abiding interests in
Amateur Radio, Canals, Photography, Travel, & Voluntary Work for community & humanitarian
organisations locally, nationally, & worldwide
Vice President
Mr James Malcolm Parker FBEng, PEng, MSPE
17, South Side, Hutton Rudby, Yarm, Yorkshire, TS15
Malcolm studied part time at various colleges, with selected part courses at Leeds and Newcastle Universities, for IAAS examinations (no relevant degree course available), including HNC in Building Construction on the way. Malcolm has practical experience in all forms of construction covering a 10 year period. Malcolm qualified in Building Surveying through IAAS and became a Corporate Member in 1971 and junior partnership in RA & JM Parker in 1972. He expanded the practice to include Consultancy with government agencies on building maintenance and structural repair. He was elected Fellow of IAAS in 1976, Senior Partner in the practice in 1979. He developed private structural surveys and reports on domestic and commercial properties. Malcolm became Sole Principal in 1989. Following this he expanded in building and associated design work within the practice and established a separate design consultancy practice in 1990, to include associated project management.
Malcolm has been a Member of the Association of Building Engineers for over 40 years
Mr Iain Wright PEng, FSE, MBEng,
(Vice President & Past President)
Guinea Wiggs. Nayland, Colchester, Essex, CO6 4NF
Born in Haddington, Scotland, Iain is nowadays a unique product of a formal training process to become a civil and structural engineer and is extremely proud of his training with W Fairhurst & Partners of Glasgow during which time Iain developed a love for in-depth structural analysis, tall buildings and problem solving. He then moved on to working for English consultants, including Ross & Partners in the 1970s. During this period he was Resident Engineer for the major refurbishment of a listed building in the City of London at the junction of Gracechurch Street and Lombard Street (EC3). This work involved dealing with complicated junctions between old and new construction and solving problems with the existing retained roof structures.
During Iain’s period with the District Surveyor’s Office he was responsible for checking and agreeing the structural analysis of remedial works to the Queen Posts trusses at the Portertun Room in the City/Finsbury boundaries.Iain moved to East Anglia in 1974 where he has run his own consultancy practice of Civil and Structural Engineering for the past 25 years.
Mr Brian Dixon BA, PEng, MBEng, P/PGIS, HonFGIS,
HonHKIConstE, SASPE, HonFASI, MSPE
(Past President and Editor of THE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER)
1 Scotts Court, 46, Station Road, Alderholt, Fordingbridge,
Hampshire, SP6 3RB
Brian entered the construction industry in 1947 when he enrolled on a full time course at Grimsby College of Technology. He progressed through his studies achieving a Diploma in Building Specification and Quantities. He has an interest in our heritage and has attended events linked to the repair and maintenance of ancient buildings and supported the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings.
In 1980 he diversified and extended his career achieving a BA Degree in Architecture (at the Pacific Western University in the USA) and a Diploma in Arbitration.
Brian was an Articled Surveyor and Company Director working with Shering Builders in Hampshire, as a Surveyor and Estimator he has special responsibilities for National Trust, Listed and Church Buildings. His career included a period of National Service.
Brian is currently a Past President of the Society of Professional Engineers, Member of the Association of Building Engineers, the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and the Ecclesiological Society. He is also a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators and the City of London.
Brian has always supported the Scouting Movement, holding a variety of positions including the role of Deputy District Commissioner and during this period, he also carried out support work linked to developments in Uganda.
He is a supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the Princes Trust.
Mr Ray Elders, IngPEur, PEng, FIDiagE, FEI, FIAB, MIET, AFA,
AMIMarEst
28, Birks Lane, Millhouse Green, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 9NB
Ray Elders spent several years at sea as a Marine Engineer, then was appointed as an Engineer-Surveyor to National Vulcan Engineering Insurance Group for 13 years, the last 3 years as Regional Engineer based in Manchester Head Office. From there he worked with various engineering consultancies before forming his own company of Consulting-Inspecting-Expediting Engineers working for the last 25 years in the Petroleum Petrochemical, Power Generation industries but mainly with the oil industry for international oil companies in the Middle East.
He also obtained qualifications in accountancy and is licensed to practice as a professional accountant.
In July 2008, Ray was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for his exceptional service and outstanding contribution to Saudi Aramco at the company’s conference on Lake Como.
The Society regrets to announce that Ray Elders died in December 2010 and he will be sorely missed
Antony Wedge BSc, FBEng, PEng, FSPE, ARICS, MAPM
198, Sheen Court, Sheen Road, Richmond upon Thames,London, TW10 5DH
Hampshire born, Antony Wedge has over 30 years of varied experience in the Construction/Engineering industry working all over England on several MoD bases and with private companies on large projects such as the Cascades Shopping Mall in Portsmouth and the Nationwide Technology HQ in Swindon.
Graduated in Bristol, he has had two spells abroad in South America working on industrial refurbishment projects and the Falklands working for Turner’s in facilities management on the Mount Pleasant Airbase, this including remote mountain top military sites.
For the last few years, he has been running his own project management consultancy with his main contract and being with a London Local Authority to oversee their framework consultants largely in Educational Projects.
His interests include Jazz, playing the Alto saxophone, current affairs,
Mr David Parratt JP, LLB, PEng, FRICS, FCIArb, DipICArb, MAE,
FBEng, FSPE, MSLL
Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
Secretary, Past President & Trustee of the Society’s charity “Exciting Engineering”
18, Orchard Close, New Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 9PY
David Parratt is a Building Engineer / Chartered Building Surveyor. Before qualifying
in this field, he was a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and later a Chartered Arbitrator.
In obtaining this latter qualification he was assisted by having a London University
degree in Law. In this capacity, he was a part-time lecturer in Arbitration Law for
a Masters Degree course at Leeds Metropolitan University.
He has been a member of
the Council of the Society since 1990 and has served two years as its President.
His legal qualification helped him to completely re-draft the Society’s Memorandum
and Articles of Association. With the aim of ensuring that the Society matched its
title as “Professional”, he also drafted its Bye-laws, it’s disciplinary procedures,
its Mission Statement and its Code of Professional Ethics.
David is keen for the Society
to promote engineering as a worthwhile group of professions which are not only essential
to the well-being of mankind but are actually an exciting way of making a living.
David John Hardcastle PEng, HonFSE,FCMI, BIng(Germany).
Honorary Treasurer and Immediate Past President
5 Crossway, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5LD
David Hardcastle was born in 1933 in Wimbledon completing his education at Kingston Polytech College [ now Kingston University], after a much disrupted and complicated period through the war years. In the National Service he was in the Royal Engineers, this included some involvement in the Coronation Ceremony for Queen Elizabeth.
With Surveying and Engineering qualifications he joined E.W Avent Ltd, a firm of Civil Engineering contractors specialising in all aspects of gas and water distribution in the South and West of England. Memorable incidents included the completion of steel integration mains after rationalization and alas the construction and planning of the valving, mains alternation and services for the conversion of town to natural gas.After 32 years, ten of which as Contract Director, the purchase of the company caused redundancy which was followed by 12 years highway and motoring maintenance with Surrey County Council and partnership Consulting Engineers for the Highway Agency.
David has a passion for inter-disciplinary requirements of Engineers to obtain efficiency with safety and the requirement qualifications to be agreed by all the many governments and institutional authorities. He became a Member for the Society of Engineers in 1954 [now the IET] and the Society of Professional Engineers after it’s inception. Although the ideal aims are accepted internationally it would seem that the “devil” is in the detail and much work remains to be done.
We must be optimistic and trust that the up and coming generation will also support these aims, and urge everyone to join the multi-disciplinary and international Society of Professional Engineers.