We are delighted to announce the winners of the Cranfield Manufacturing Alumni Awards 2021.

The annual Manufacturing Alumni awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of alumni who exemplify the values of the University, while showcasing the impact of Cranfield Manufacturing globally. The awards honour alumni in two categories: the Distinguished Manufacturing Alumni Award and the Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Manufacturing Graduates.

Our award winners are individuals whose success can inspire others; who have made exceptional progress in their careers and led the way with innovative thinking.

Our congratulations go to this year’s outstanding winners.

Meet the 2021 Distinguished Manufacturing and Materials Alumni Award Winner

Dr Pam Murrell FICME (PhD in the School of Applied Sciences 1990)

Chief Executive, Cast Metals Federation

Pamela Murrell Distinguished Manufacturing Alumna 2021Pam Murrell is the Chief Executive of the Cast Metals Federation (CMF), the Trade Association for the UK casting industry. The CMF represents and supports its members (UK foundries and suppliers to the industry) and is the UK member of the European Foundry Association (CAEF).

Pam completed a PhD on Fracture and Fatigue at Cranfield University, following a BSc Hons Degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science from Cardiff University. 

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME), a Board member of the European Investment Casters’ Federation, a Trustee of the Tor Lodge & Applecross Trust, Chair of the World Foundry Organisation Working Group on Vocational Training & Professional Development, and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Founders. 

Since there were no foundry specific programmes available following the demise of various college-based courses, a particular focus of her work over the past 10 years has been to support a range of professional development programmes and short courses for the UK industry.  This contributed to the development of an EAL Level 3 Diploma in Casting and a new trailblazing apprentice standard for the casting and foundry industry, as well as the establishment, in 2018, of the National Foundry Training Centre - which was the first practical training facility for the industry in the UK for at least two decades.  Pam was awarded an ICME Meritorious Services Medal in 2014 and the Oliver Stubbs Medal in 2019.

 

Meet the 2021 Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Manufacturing and Materials Graduates Winner

Yewande Mayomi-Akinola MBE FIET (MSc Innovation and Design for Sustainability 2012)

Engineering Designer and Innovator

Yewande Akinola Yewande is a chartered engineer, innovator and speaker. Her engineering experience includes the design and construction, innovation and manufacture of buildings and systems in the built environment. She has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia, and has been named the UK Young Woman Engineer of the Year by the Institution of Engineering & Technology.

Yewande has also been awarded the Exceptional Achiever Award from the Association for BAME Engineers and the Association of Consultancy and Engineering, UK (ACE).

Yewande is passionate about STEM communication and has presented engineering programmes for television. In the 2020 New Year Honours list, she was awarded an MBE for services to engineering innovation and diversity in STEM.

She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster, and was has recently been appointed the UK's Innovation agency (Innovate UK) Ambassador for Clean Growth and Infrastructure. Yewande is also a Trustee of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

 

You can find out more about each of our winners by clicking on their names above.

Discussing this year’s winners Professor Mark Jolly, Director of Manufacturing, said: “The Manufacturing Alumni Awards provide us with the opportunity to recognise members of our alumni community who have achieved significant success in their industries, while upholding the highest standards and inspiring others. This year’s exceptional winners have both made a significant, positive impact on the manufacturing industry. They are outstanding ambassadors for Cranfield University, and it fills me with great pride to be able acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments.” 

We look forward to celebrating with our 2021 winners later this year. Make sure you keep your contact details up-to-date to hear about our 2021 event.