Chair of the Western Gateway receives honorary degree from the University of West of England

Katherine, who was Senior Vice President of Airbus UK and is currently Chief Executive of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, has been Chair of the Western Gateway since 2019.

Having overseen the set up and development of the partnership she continues to lead as the partnership looks to harness the world leading engineering and high tech skills to add £34bn to the economy, attract new opportunities for local people and reach net zero.

During her speech, Katherine, called for STEM education to be made “more attractive and accessible” to help meet future demand for skills in industry. She applauded the University of the West of England’s Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI) skills development scheme and specialised courses like Robotics.

During her speech, Katherine Bennet said: “Our future depends on the next generation of engineers and scientists, building innovations that can help solve climate change and prevent the next pandemic.

“We need the right skills in the right places to deliver these innovations across our country. For this, we need to make our STEM education system more accessible and more attractive, encouraging more students to pick up the baton.  And when only 16% of engineering graduates are women, we need to change our message too.”

UWE Bristol Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve West said: “We’re delighted to recognise Katherine’s incredible contribution within the aviation and manufacturing industries. Not only is she an exceptional leader and role model, but is also passionate about the communities she serves and the power of education and business working together to transform lives.

“At UWE Bristol we are supporting the next generation of engineers to ensure they have the skills they need to thrive as they start their careers. We want to inspire our students and graduates and help them to reach their full potential. Their innovations will build the future.”

Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council and Vice Chair of the Western Gateway Partnership, said: “As Chair of the Western Gateway Partnership, Katherine has taken her experience of working at the top level of the aerospace and manufacturing sector to bear, to promote our area as an innovation powerhouse.  Bringing together business, research and local leaders from across South Wales and Western England, we are working collaboratively to attract new opportunities and reach net zero harnessing our great engineering expertise in the process.

“On behalf of the rest of the partnership, I’d like to congratulate Katherine on receiving this well-deserved honorary degree and look forward to continuing to work together to promote the great skills we have across our area.”