Chief Executive of the McLaren Group and Team Principal of McLaren Racing Ron Dennis was last night awarded the Prince Philip Medal from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh at a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by The Royal Academy of Engineering. The Annual Awards ceremony to celebrate innovation and excellence in engineering was held at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall.
Ron Dennis has been a key player in the motorsports world which is seen as one of the most successful engineering industries in the UK both in Formula 1 and other divisions. Ron took over the McLaren Formula 1 team just 16 years after entering the sport as a teenager and has led the team to nine Driver’s World Championships. His entrepreneurial skills have seen him capitalise on the cutting edge technology required to compete at this level and he has created a group of high technology companies including McLaren Automotive and McLaren Electronic Systems.
Speaking about the award, Ron said “When you look at the list of past winners, I feel flattered and honoured to have been selected for this award. In truth, though, it’s an award for all who work at McLaren, not just for me.”
“Ron Dennis has founded and led a world-leading engineering enterprise that is probably the most visible and compelling example of high performance engineering available,” explained Professor Keith Glover FR Eng from the Academy. “His exceptional contribution to engineering is not only seen in the motorsports domain but is also evident in the public perception of engineering.”
The Prince Philip Medal was commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1989 to be presented to engineers who have ‘made an exceptional contribution to engineering as a whole through practice, management or education’. Past recipients include Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, who invented the jet engine.
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