Former Principal Partner: Colin Davies

Colin Davies

BSc Engineering Science, 1971

First job:

Marketing Engineer

Strangest interview question:

What would you do in my position?

Best piece of advice received:

Don't stand still. Seek change and be in the vanguard, not in the 'also rans'.

Ambitions for the future:

Some satisfaction from supporting future professional engineers.

I wish I'd known when applying for jobs:

The speed with which knowledge can become out-of-date and the crucial skill of knowing and understanding how future needs will be met. CPD (Continuing Professional Development) completely underplays what might be needed in the future.

Advice to current students:

Work out how they can apply or work with AI in their field of interest.

Colin Davis CEng FIET Principal Partner, Colin Davis Partnership (now retired)

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

One half of my career was in machine tools, automated assembly systems, and robotics. The other half my career was in academia as a visiting professor. Before retirement, I ran a consultancy business at the interface.

The attraction was researching, understanding, and implementing more economic manufacturing techniques and technologies, as well as writing and publishing papers, articles, lectures about them.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

Observing the successful impact of a better way.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Questioning and challenging norms and traditions. Understanding that people make change, not the better techniques or technologies.

As an engineering consultant, partnering with the Institute of Employment Research (based at the University of Warwick) on some 20 research studies, I learned the mix of skills in the economy and their speed of migration.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

Warwick was 4th on my UCCA list. I chose it in 1968 over places offered at other far better known (at the time) UK engineering universities. It seemed to me that Warwick had far more awareness of the future than other universities that I visited at the time.

I then applied, and gained, company sponsorship to do a (slightly skewed by then) 1-3-1 sandwich course in a large (at the time) machine tools group, in a department focused on introducing new techniques and technologies, which began a career that is now limited in availability in the UK.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

Just as new techniques and technologies were revolutionising the world of work so Artificial Intelligence is on the cusp of revolutionising the world of work in every sector of the economy and society.

Whilst AI presents major threats across the board, it also presents amazing opportunities - to shape AI, mould AI, apply AI, develop AI, and move on from what we currently expect of AI.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am still an active Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Chair Panels (these days online) that assess applications for Fellowship of the IET.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

Perhaps three worth noting:

One of three people given 12 months to successfully sell a global group of operating companies (with some 10k employees in total), whilst retaining one automation and robotics company designated for future development. I was chosen because of the wide-ranging reports that I published internally, heavily edited extracts published externally for the then Department of Trade & Industry as well as the British Overseas Trade Board.

As a Steering Group Member of a UK Parliamentary Inquiry into UK Manufacturing, contributing to an 18-month process of interviewing witnesses and assisting in arriving at conclusions and recommendations, as well as assisting in writing the published report. As much about mental attitudes and ambitions as failures to capitalise on opportunities.

A year serving as Chair of Council of the IET (approx. 150k professional engineers in membership; the largest engineering Institution in Europe with more than 50% of its membership non-resident in the UK).

An IET Council meeting includes some 30 Members of Council representing different Boards & Regions around the world supported by some 70 senior members of staff. Pre-analysis of Council Members interests and skills enabled encouragement to focus on a range of specific issues for the IET that were particularly germane to each member.