Archie Bethel
Archibald "Archie" Bethel is an Executive Director of Babcock International Group Plc and is the CEO of Babcock Marine, president of the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), and vice-president and treasurer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in Great Britain.He is also a lay member of the Court of the University of Strathclyde. Bethel is also the former president of Scottish Engineering and former CEO of the Lanarkshire Development Agency.
Biography
Archibald Anderson Bethel was born in High Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was educated at Hamilton Academy, where he subsequently matriculated for entrance into the University of Strathclyde. Upon completion of his degree in mechanical engineering, Bethel entered the oil industry, joining Vetco Gray in Aberdeen before being transferred to Houston, Texas in the United States to become a design engineer. While in Houston, Bethel was appointed as the director of the research and development section, but then returned to the United Kingdom in 1985, where he was promoted to the position of managing director (also known as Chief Executive) of Vetco Gray's UK Operations.
In 1991, Bethel was appointed Chief Executive of the Lanarkshire Development Agency, part of the Scottish Enterprise network, a position he held until April 1996. He later accepted a post as chief operating officer at Motherwell Bridge, a major engineering firm located in Motherwell, Scotland. After leaving Motherwell Bridge in January 2004, Bethel became Chief Executive of Babcock Marine, which, with over 8,000 employees at the time, was the largest provider of engineering services to the Royal Navy.[citation needed] During his time at Babcock Marine, Bethel oversaw the building of two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, despite cutbacks that were announced in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.[citation needed] In April 2010, Bethel was appointed to the main board of directors of Babcock International Group PLC.[1][2]
Awards and honours
- Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (awarded 1996)[3][4]
- Vice-president and treasurer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (2001–present)
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (elected in 2003)[5] and in 2010, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[6]
- President of Scottish Engineering (2003-2005)
- Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (awarded 2008)[3]
- Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Strathclyde (awarded November 2009)[2]
References
- ^ The Herald, article 9 April 2010 – Archie Bethel Retrieved 12 November 2010
- ^ a b Hamilton Advertiser - article, 19 November 2009 – Archie Bethel Retrieved 12 November 2010
- ^ a b The Herald, article 15 June 1996 – Queen’s Birthday Honours List Retrieved 12 November 2010
- ^ Scottish Engineering – article, Archie Bethel Retrieved 12 November 2010
- ^ Royal Academy of Engineering – Fellows List Retrieved 12 November 2010
- ^ The Royal Society of Edinburgh – New Fellows List, 1 March 2010 Retrieved 12 November 2010