DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRIALISATION CENTRE)

Isobel has lived and breathed clean tech for the majority of her career, delivering technical innovations from within small start-ups and semi-government institutions to business turnaround within divisions of publicly listed corporations.

She became Head of Business Development at the UKBIC in 2019. The Centre, a new national facility for battery manufacturing development, will open this year and aims to turn the UK into a world leader in battery design, development and manufacture for vehicle electrification.

Honorary Degree For Unipart Manufacturing Boss

One of the West Midlands’ leading female industrialists has been awarded an honorary degree by Coventry University.

Carol Burke CBE, Managing Director at Unipart Manufacturing Group, was granted the title of Doctor of Technology in recognition of her pioneering work in setting up the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering (AME) more than five years ago.

The experienced engineer was one of the driving forces behind the UK’s first “Faculty on the Factory Floor”, helping support a new approach to developing the graduates of the future by making them more industryready through access to real-life manufacturing projects.

It is an approach that has already led to more than 100 new manufacturing professionals joining the sector and, due to AME’s ability to commercialise research and development, leading to a string of multi-million pound contracts for Unipart Manufacturing Group.

“While I’m personally delighted to receive the honorary degree, I do feel the title is more recognition of how successful the Institute and its bold approach to bridging the skills gap has been,” said Carol, who started her career with GKN.

“Industry and academia coming together hasn’t always been the easiest of marriages and, although there has definitely been soul searching on both sides, we have proved that the model works.

“The R&D work we have successfully carried out together includes projects as diverse as supporting the development of new fuel rails, as well as creating a new battery manufacturing facility. We feel we have found the blueprint for other companies and universities to follow.”

AME is based on one of Unipart Manufacturing Group’s sites in Coventry. Based in a purpose-built 1,700 sq m hub, more than 200 students have completed or are working towards their degrees, using the latest robotics, automation and welding technology.