Dame Helen Atkinson, CBE, DBE

Dame Helen Atkinson was appointed Non-Executive Director (Academic) in April 2026. She is Deputy Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Cranfield University and was previously Pro-Vice Chancellor Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing. She brings depth and breadth of experience with UK academia in relation to manufacturing and materials and has had extensive interaction with industry in the engineering context from SMEs to major multinationals.

Dame Helen is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), the highest honour for an engineer in the UK, and chaired the Education and Skills Committee for the Academy and the major industry-sponsored ‘This is Engineering’ campaign to encourage more young people to consider engineering as a career. She serves on the Governing Board of the Henry Royce Institute, which supports businesses of all sizes in overcoming materials challenges and accelerating technology translation. Her experience on Trustee Boards includes: Institute of Metals; Institute of Materials; Minerals and Mining; Royal Academy of Engineering. She co-chaired Tomorrows Engineering Research Challenges, one of the largest consultation exercises ever undertaken by the EPSRC and served on the National Materials Leadership Council for Government.

She was made CBE in 2014 and DBE in 2021 for services to engineering and education.