JUNE 13, 2008

Dennis gets a gong

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis's contribution to engineering has led to the award of the Prince Philip Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The gold medal is "awarded periodically to an engineer of any nationality who has made an exceptional contribution to engineering as a whole through practice, management or education".

According to one of the 1370 fellows of the academy Professor Keith Glover, Dennis "has founded and led a world-leading engineering enterprise that is probably the most visible and compelling example of high performance engineering available. His exceptional contribution to engineering is not only seen in the motorsports domain but is also evident in the public perception of engineering."

The award has existed since 1989 and previous winners include Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle for his work developing the jet engine and Sir John Browne, the then chief executive of BP Amoco.