Dick Elsy

Non-Executive Director

Dick Elsy chairs the Production and Programme Committee. Dick was Chief Executive of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, the largest advanced manufacturing research institute in Europe, until his retirement in 2021. He is a career veteran from the automotive industry, with the bulk of his time spent at Land Rover and then Jaguar, where he was Engineering Director. At Land Rover he started his career as one of the key project team members on the original Discovery programme. He later became a member of the board from where he led the creation, development, and manufacture of the Freelander. Prior to joining the HVM Catapult, Dick was the CEO of Torotrak plc, the FTSE-listed developer of traction drive technology.

Dick is on the council of the UK Research and Innovation Science and Technology Facilities Council (UKRI-STFC) and is Chairman of AB Dynamics, an Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed supplier of integrated test systems for the global automotive industry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a holder of the Academy’s Silver Medal. He was recognised for his contribution to manufacturing and technology in the UK with a CBE in 2018.

He is an honorary professor at Strathclyde University and holds an honorary doctorate from Cranfield University.

In 2020, Dick chaired the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium, a collection of industrial and engineering partners from across the UK which manufactured and delivered over 13,000 ventilators for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Latest news

A building with the word RAICo on it against a backdrop of hill cliffs and a beach

AWE joins RAICo

The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) has announced the addition of AWE – a UK leader in nuclear technology and innovation – as its fifth member organisation. AWE joins the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Sellafield Ltd, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), and the University of Manchester in this integrated collaboration.

Images of gliders on Aldermaston airfield lined up in 1944

Features

8 May 2025

VE Day at Aldermaston

80 years ago, the European part of the Second World War came to an end. On the 8th of May 1945 - known as Victory in Europe Day or VE Day - celebrations erupted around the world to mark this. Aldermaston had played its part in the liberation of Western Europe as it formed the launch point and training ground for American airborne operations for the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles”, during D-Day a year earlier and the failed Operation Market Garden.

Strategic Alliance Partners Conference hits the mark

Senior representatives from AWE, the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO), the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) and the university community gathered at the recently held Strategic Alliance Partners Conference to discuss and debate areas of STEM that support our mission. The two-day event organised by the External Technical Partnerships Office brought together government, academia, […]