Chair of the Board, Terence Jagger, CBE, who joined in March 2021, commented on the appointments: “We are delighted to welcome Yasmin and Chris who together with our current members will help to drive NMITE forward following the launch of our new courses and recent cohort that joined in September 2022.
“Chris and Yasmin add not only experience but bring new perspectives and will help drive awareness of NMITE.”
James Newby, President and CEO, added: “I am delighted to see Yasmin and Chris on our Board, both bringing engineering prowess but also their own views and expertise on inspiring the
next generation.
“NMITE has introduced new courses including announcing the first of its kind BSc Sustainable Built Environment degree, officially opened CATT (Centre for Advanced Timber Technology) and has now welcomed three cohorts since opening in 2020.
“We look forward to hearing Yasmin and Chris’s ideas on how NMITE can continue on its journey to education the next generation of engineers.”
The new Trustees are:
Yasmin Ali
Yasmin Ali is a Hydrogen Project Development Manager at RWE, passionate about the future of energy. She studied chemical engineering at the University of Nottingham before joining E.ON, followed by the department
for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Named one of the top 50 Women in Engineering by the Women's Engineering Society, Ali is currently writing her first book, Power Up, and has written for the BBC, Metro and Huffington Post.
Having fallen into engineering by accident, Yasmin is now passionate about promoting engineering stories and careers to the public and young people.
“I am delighted to join the NMITE board, I look forward to contributing to this exciting new educational institution and its creative, engaging way of teaching the next generation of engineers,” says Ali.
Chris Courtney
Chris Courtney joined the National Manufacturing
Institute in Scotland as the CEO on 1 November after more than 20 years of leadership experience in industry, start-ups and consultancy.
NMIS is a significant investment by the UK and Scottish Governments to transform advanced manufacturing in Scotland, the UK and beyond, bringing together universities, industries and technology companies together in a dynamic innovation environment.
Prior to NMIS, he led the UK innovation programme for digital manufacturing, Made Smarter Innovation, which is a £147M programme supporting all sectors of manufacturing.
Previously, Courtney led the Industry 4.0 effort in manufacturing in Deloitte, developing and delivering smart factory and
connected supply chain solutions across multiple industries including automotive, aerospace, medical devices and oil and gas.
Courtney has also been a CTO of a start-up, was the launching Chairman for the digital engineering company CFMS, and before that, was an Engineering VP at Rolls Royce, where he worked in aerospace defence and commercial and offshore marine.
Throughout Courtney’s career, he has developed and delivered new technology capabilities and business transformations and has worked extensively in Scandinavia, the USA, Singapore, and Europe.
Courtney has an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Queens University Belfast, a Master’s degree in Aerodynamics from Cranfield University and an MBA from the University of Warwick Business School. He is also the Governor of Bemrose School in Derby, an integrated primary and secondary school.