IET president conferred with honorary doctorate

20 October, 2016

When being bestowed with the Doctorate she told an audience of new graduates not to worry if they lacked fully-formed career plans because opportunities can arise when they are least expected.

Climer is the first female president of the IET; one of the largest bodies of its type in the world. During the ceremony, the University’s vice-chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan – an engineer himself – described her as “a true inspiration”.

An oration was delivered by Dr Violeta Holmes, who is subject area leader for electronic and electrical engineering in the University’s School of Computing and Engineering.

“Naomi Climer is one of the most senior British women engineers working in the communication industry,” said Dr Holmes. “She has spent her career immersed in the rapidly changing world of media and entertainment technology from the pre-internet days of analogue TV and radio through to the multi-channel, multi-platform, mobile experience of today.”

Dr Holmes outlined Climer’s career, which has included key roles with organisations and firms such as the BBC and Sony. She is also been an active campaigner for gender diversity within the UK engineering profession in the UK.

“Throughout her career she has demonstrated how creative, exciting and diverse an engineering career can be, and she aims to inspire many more people to become engineers,” continued Dr Holmes. “This is an extraordinary time to be an engineer – engineering and technology is continuously developing new ideas that will benefit society, individuals and the world.”