News

By Peter Croft

Chris Kirby has been appointed as the new General Manager of IMechE Engineering Training Solutions

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has appointed experienced Chief Executive and General Manager Chris Kirby as the new General Manager for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ NDT and Corrosion Inspection Training business IMechE Engineering Training Solutions (IMechE ETS).

IMechE ETS is a Sheffield based Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Corrosion & Coatings Inspection training business. The Institution bought Argyll-Ruane Ltd in 2012, and subsequently added the IMechE ETS corporate branding. The business has been enjoying a period of rejuvenation and resurgent growth in the last 6 months and is now showing 25% year on year growth in the UK. It has also opened a training centre in the Gulf region and invested in customer service, state of the art NDT equipment and online learning.

Chris has a background in NDT. He founded his first business, NDT Solutions Ltd, and built it into a world leader in advanced ultrasonic test equipment with clients including Airbus, Boeing, Ford and Volvo, before selling it in 2005. He has subsequently been involved in spin-outs from the University of Sheffield, including Magnomatics Ltd which he grew to 30 employees. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Electronics and Computer Science from Keele University, and is a Chartered Electrical Engineer. He is also a Guest Lecturer in Entrepreneurism at the University of Sheffield. 

Chris Kirby, said in response to his appointment:

“I am looking forward to starting at IMechE ETS at such an exciting time for the business, with growth in both the UK and the Gulf region.”

Stephen Tetlow MBE, Chief Executive of the Institution said:

“I am delighted with the appointment of Chris. His background in leading service and technology businesses in the NDT sector means he is perfectly placed to drive continued growth for IMechE’s ETS business.”

IMechE ETS is the leading NDT and corrosion inspection training organisation in the UK. The organisation has issued over 100,000 certifications in the UK and overseas to engineers active in various industries such as oil and gas, civil infrastructure, aerospace, nuclear and petro-chemical, ensuring they are structurally sound and safe to operate. ETS has seen 25% growth year on year, driven by investments in improving customer service, increasing the number of expert trainers, investments in new NDT equipment, enhancing the training facilities and developing online learning capabilities.