MATERIALS PROCESSING INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Alan Scholes is the Chief Technology Officer for the Materials Processing Institute. The Institute carries out industrial research and innovation in advanced materials, industrial decarbonisation and the circular economy and has been supporting the materials, processing and energy sectors for over 75 years.
Alan has an extensive history of industrial research and development for the materials sector from laboratory and pilot scale studies through to industrial trials and plant commissioning. This includes the management and operation of tonnage-scale pilot plant, including high hazard facilities, major upgrades, and development of health and safety systems.
A graduate of Cambridge University, Alan sits on several advisory boards for Doctoral Training Centres with leading UK universities and supports development of young scientists and engineers. He is also an EU Expert Evaluator for European Funded projects and EPSRC proposals within his areas of expertise, and has contributed to major international conferences for the metals sector both as contributor and on the organising and technical committees. Alan also contributes to advisory groups on development for the industry.
Anders is Director Commercial at the Materials Processing Institute where he focusses on developing new research partnerships with multinational businesses and assuring the smooth running of existing accounts, including targeting substantial value creation for all clients.
Job Titles:
- Company Secretary at the Institute
- Director, Business Services for the Material Processing Institute
Carol Patton is the Director, Business Services for the Material Processing Institute. Carol's formal qualifications include an LLB (Hons) degree in Law from the University of London and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Teesside University. Both qualifications were obtained whilst Carol was already engaged in full time employment which has been predominantly working in the steel industry for British Steel, Corus and Tata Steel.
During Carol's career, her managerial role has continuously developed, from Library and Information, and Administrative activities to include HR, Media, Quality Assurance, Environmental Management and Finance. Carol continues to be active in all these areas, ensuring that the essential support exists to facilitate delivery of the Institute's research, technical and business services. She was responsible for the instigation of the Institute's Quality Assurance and Environmental Management Systems, both accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 respectively. She is responsible for ensuring the relevant quality and Environmental standards are maintained.
Additionally, Carol is Company Secretary at the Institute, a role which requires her to work closely with Council and Board Members to ensure that the Institute meets or exceeds its statutory obligations and she takes a wider interest in supporting the local community having held a number of voluntary community-based positions.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Expert
Chris McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer of the Materials Processing Institute. The Institute carries out industrial research and innovation in advanced materials, industrial decarbonisation and the circular economy and has been supporting the materials, processing and energy sectors for over 75 years. Chris led the divestment and return to independent, not-for-profit ownership of the Institute in 2014.
Chris's background is in industrial research and manufacturing, where he has worked internationally. A graduate of Cambridge University, Chris is a Fellow the Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He sits on industrial advisory boards at a number of universities, including Oxford and Sheffield.
Chris has an interest in innovation management and industry dynamics and in addition to leading the Institute, he provides expert opinion and consultancy support to companies, institutes, Governments and public bodies in innovation and technology strategy and management. He also advises on the technical due diligence aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
Chris is prominent in the development of public policy, around innovation, steel, SMEs, where he works to support growth and inward investment. Chris is the policy chair for Innovation and Enterprise for the Federation of Small Businesses, a member of the CBI Regional Council and Shadow Monetary Policy Committee for the North East, the Innovation lead for the UK Metals Council and a member of the Steel Advisory Board for UK Steel (EEF).
Chris is often called to commentate in the media on innovation leadership and the steel industry.
Even after his formal retirement in 1994, Don continued to support the Institute, through mentoring of senior staff in technology strategy and management. Don's vision, strategic insight and advice was crucial to supporting the return to independence of the Institute in 2014. It was therefore with great pleasure that following a refurbishment of the library and archive of the Institute they were renamed in Don's honour as the ‘Spenceley Library & Archive'. This moment was marked by a commemorative event on 28th October 2016, which was attended by Don and his family.
Don is a strong advocate of cooperation in Research particularly at the European level where he was a Past President of the European Executive Committee on Steelmaking.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Engineer
- Director Operations
Dr Gerard Stephens is the Director Operations at the Materials Processing Institute. Gerard is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Gerard was educated at the University of Cambridge where he obtained an MEng and then a PhD in Chemical Engineering. He later completed a Master of Sciences in Process Automation and Control from the University of Newcastle, as in-career continuing education.
Gerard was part of the team that oversaw the return to independence of the Materials Processing Institute. As Director Operations, Gerard is responsible for the technical teams that meet the research and innovation needs of the Institute's partners and clients. He is also responsible for developing the capability to meet the Institute's clients' future challenges in advanced materials, industrial decarbonisation and the circular economy, drawing intensively upon expertise in materials science and advanced processing, utilising the latest digital technologies.
In a previous role, Gerard set up the SME Technology Centre, which enables companies to access the Institute's services. He established funded pathways to support the creation of new companies and to help existing SMEs to innovate and grow. He retains his interests in strengthening the materials and process sectors' supply chains and fostering relationships between the Institutes partners and SME clients. He is committed to ensuring that the Institute is able to deliver effective support to clients of all sizes, enabling them to meet current and future challenges.
Gerard's research interests are in process simulation. He established and managed the implementation of a roadmap for process simulation for the UK steel industry. He led the development of a world-class modelling facility including experimental modelling laboratory and leading-edge simulation software. He co-ordinated research into the manufacture of new steel grades, while improving process reliability and reducing costs.
"It is a honour to have the Millman Scholarships in place to provide a support structure and mentoring programme to help future generations of materials researchers"
The programme is called the Millman Scholarships, in recognition of the outstanding career of Dr Stuart Millman, an internationally renowned industrial researcher, who retired from the Institute in 2018, after 40 years of service.
Dr Stuart Millman began his industrial research career with the British Iron and Steel Research Association (BISRA) in 1976, having graduated from Sheffield University with a PhD in process metallurgy. What followed was a career spanning more than 40 years in industrial research, characterised by an ability to spot emerging trends in new technology, before they are apparent to the wider community.
Stuart is a past President of the Electric Steelmaker's Guild and has sat on industry research committees for the European Commission Research Fund for Coal & Steel (RFCS), where he provided expert opinion and advise on Steelmaking Processes research.
Jonathan Neal is the Chief Financial Officer at the Materials Processing Institute. Jonathan graduated in Business Studies at Newcastle Polytechnic and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Newcastle. After qualifying he focussed on SME finance with KPMG before spending a period in industry to gain practical commercial experience.
Returning to his primary area of interest of SME and technology corporate finance in 2003 Jonathan worked with the North East Regional Development Agency ONE NorthEast to establish the five Centres of Excellence, including Centre for Process Innovation on Teesside and NaREC in Blyth, and the technology and commercial Access to Finance vehicles of NStar and Northstar Ventures. His interest in regional economic strategic regeneration, and the desire to contribute to it, is one of the primary reasons why Jonathan joined the Materials Processing Institute in 2014.
Jonathan has since helped fund and spin out several companies from the region's universities and continues to maintain a watching brief over a number of them. In 2015 he continued his interest in companies operating in the public private sector by helping establish Impeller and the Impeller Foundation which delivers the commercial activities of the Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service and channels the profits back into the community in pursuit of the Service's public duty objectives.
As the Chief Financial Officer of the Materials Processing Institute Jonathan oversees the financial management and commercial & economic strategic direction of the Institute. Although relatively new to the steel industry he is a fervent believer in, and adopts Sir Henry Bessemer's approach, of having "an immense advantage over many others dealing with the problem in as much as I had no fixed ideas derived from long-established practice to control and bias my mind, and did not suffer from the general belief that whatever is, is right" to bring his wider commercial, financial and public/private sector experience to the Institute to drive the growth of the business. Applying these general principles Jonathan continues his growing interest in the steel industry as a member of the World Steel Economics Committee.