Board of Trustees
Directors
Committees
Governance Board
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Membership
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Partners
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Events
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Communications
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Finance
and Audit
WES Governance
The Women's Engineering Society is a charitable company, so it is governed by the President and the Board of Directors of the Company, who are also Trustees of the Charity.
The Board is supported by the Directors' Committees, established in 2020, which Members may apply to join. There are three Directors' Committees that focus on Membership, Partnerships, and Events and Communications. There is also a Finance and Audit Committee attended by the President, two Board Members and the Chief Executive Officer.
WES Articles of Association350.05 KB
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The Board of Directors/Trustees
The Board consists of the WES President, who is the Board Chair and eight Directors/Trustees who are elected by the Members.
The Board can appoint (or co-opt) an additional three Directors if they want to add expertise to the Board. -
How is the Board chosen?
Since 2020 the Board and President have been elected by and from the Members for three year terms to provide stability for WES. To ensure that fresh voices are added to the Board, a third of the Directors are elected every year for three year terms, to provide innovation for WES.
For the first three years of the new governance, there are transitional arrangements. In 2020 the President and two Directors were elected for three years, three Directors were elected for two years, and three Directors for one year. The election held in 2021 was for three Directors to serve for three years and one to serve for two years to replace a retiring Trustee. The election to be held in 2022 will be for three Directors to serve for three years. In 2023, every Director will be elected for three years.
If there are vacancies, the Board can co-opt (appoint) Directors to fill the vacancies, and an election for any remaining term can be held at the annual elections. The Board can also co-opt up to three more Directors to a total of 12 Board Directors if it requires additional expertise. -
Results of the 2023 Elections for the President and the Board of Directors/Trustees
At the close of nominations for the President of the Women's Engineering Society, two valid nominations were received. One candidate later withdrew and Dr Katherine Critchley will be declared elected as President at the WES Annual General Meeting on 27 October 2023.
Three valid nominations for the Election of two Board Directors were received and the election was opened on the 5 October 2023 and closed on the 20 October 2023.
Paula McMahon and Laura Shrieves were elected to serve a three-year term from the 2023 WES AGM to the 2026 WES AGM.
Board of Trustees
Dr Katherine Critchley
PhD MSc BEng (Hons) FWES
President
Dr Critchley graduated from Coventry University in 2002 with a PhD in Process Analysis Software for the draw bending of small diameter thin walled tubes. Prior to this she gained an MSc in Computer Aided Engineering (1992) and an Honours Degree in Engineering (1991), from Coventry University.
Laura Shrieves
Trustee
Laura Shrieves is the Director of Engineering at Thales, leading the digitalization of the UK Transport sector as part of the Ground Transportation Systems (GTS) division. Hailing from a family with a strong engineering background, Laura was inspired by her father and uncle, who served as her early role models. Her engineering journey began with
Paula McMahon
CMgr FCMI CEng FICE FWES
Trustee
Paula started life as a Civil Engineering Apprentice which earned her a WES WE50 Current and Former Apprentice award in 2019. Since then she has become an active member of the Tyne and Tees Cluster, a WES Fellow and Chair of the Climate Emergency Group. Her career has been wide ranging and varied and has
Tosha Nembhard
Dr Tosha Nembhard is the aerospace Engineering Programme Director at the University of Leicester, having recently served as an Assistant Professor in Aerospace Engineering at Coventry University. Prior to that, she worked as Head of Advanced Programmes at Collins Aerospace. She is originally from Mauritius, is married to her best friend and they have a
Sarah Haslam MBE
MBE, BEng, MSc, CEng, FIMechE
Member of Directors’ Committee
Sarah is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IMechE with nearly 25 years’ experience in Automotive Engineering. She currently holds the position of Chief Program Engineer, Engine Engineering at Ford Motor Company. Sarah is passionate about encouraging the next generation of engineers, and actively promoting STEM careers to girls. Sarah was awarded her MBE
Emily Spearman
CEng MWES AIEMA FEI
Trustee
Emily Spearman is Head of PMO (Portfolio Management Office) in QHSE for Orsted – the most sustainable energy company in the world. She leads a team overseeing the global portfolio of QHSE projects across offshore wind, onshore wind, solar, bioenergy and energy storage. Part of the QHSE Senior Leadership, Emily plays a major part in
Susan Robson
Trustee
Susan Robson is a Principal Consultant at National Grid. Building on seven years’ experience as a management consultant with PwC, she works across the National Grid business to help drive the strategic initiatives that will play a key part in enabling the UK’s transition to net zero carbon. Alongside this and in a voluntary capacity,
Mamta Singhal MBE
MBE MBA MSc MIET FWES
Trustee
Mamta was born in the USA, has Indian parents and was educated in Scotland: she holds an affiliated degree in product design engineering from Glasgow University/Glasgow School of Art; an MSc in engineering management from Strathclyde University; and an MBA with distinction from Strathclyde International Business School. In 2004 she was a finalist for the
Professor Elena Gaura
PhD MWES
Trustee
Professor Elena Gaura is a Research Institute Director at Coventry University. She draws on 25 years of research experience and a decade of work as a senior manager and leader in engineering. Elena holds several honorary positions that provide her with platforms to speak for and represent women in engineering effectively: EPSRC Champion of Women
Chrisma Jain
CEng MIMechE FWES
Trustee
Chrisma Jain graduated from the University of Leeds in 2004 with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering. She is a Chartered Engineer working at Transport for London as a Senior Project Manager. She mobilised and is leading a £220m rail contract to modernise and renew the track and drainage infrastructure on London’s tube. Chrisma is
Professor Vince Pizzoni
Trustee
Professor Vince Pizzoni has a portfolio career in international business, academia, executive search and career coaching and business mentoring. Alongside an engineering background he spans the whole career lifecycle from school to university, executive and board level, and has made it his mission in life to inspire, motivate and mentor future generations into STEM/Engineering careers
Discover WES In Action
We have a wide range of events, awards, campaigns, projects, programmes and activities that support and encourage women engineers at all stages of their careers.
