Ron Kennett
Former Director (Chief Executive) of the Royal
Aeronautical Society, Ron Kennett, completed a
Higher National Certificate in Electrical Engineering
at Bradford Technical College in 1956.
“My early life was spent in the war-time environs of Greater London and this had a significant bearing
on my expectations and ambitions, as it will have for most young people at that time. Not many were
wealthy and even if they were, it was not at all clear what the future held. The formative primary school
years included swapping shrapnel for cigarette cards!”
When his father took up a new post in West
Yorkshire Ron’s ‘perk’ was a student apprenticeship at his company with day release to study at Bradford
Technical College. “One of my fellow students worked for the Yorkshire
Electricity Board and had access to free lunches at the
Bradford YEB staff restaurant and all was required of me
was to feign similar authenticity in order to enjoy the same
privilege. This was very successful until, after my colleague
had left the college and I had bare-facedly continued this
charade alone, I sat in the restaurant with a YEB manager
having a penetrating curiosity as to my precise role in
his organisation! Suffice to say, my sudden departure
necessitated an imaginative rationale and future lunch
times saw me eating steak and kidney pudding in Kirkgate
Market!”
Ron also remembers interminable bus journeys to and
from Bradford, before he eventually emerged with his
HNC in Electrical Engineering. “Once armed with my HNC,
I needed to escape from the stultifying environment of
my father’s company and was fortunate that in 1956 the
Government funded the then English Electric Company
to set up a glistening new aircraft equipment division in
Bradford where I was welcomed with open arms. By 1978,
rationalisation of the industry gathered momentum and a
merger of similar companies saw the creation of the much
larger Lucas Aerospace and I was made Chief Engineer of
its Power Systems Division, headquartered in Hertfordshire,
and became a Boardroom person. This was a threshold to
international recognition and to a substantial broadening
of my management experience.”
Ten years later, Ron was identified as the right person to
take over operational leadership the Royal Aeronautical
Society in Central London. “I had been a Fellow for some
time, but I had not recognised its progressive loss of
influence and decline. It had been kept afloat by its sheer
prestige and historic pedigree – the efforts and vision of
its founders in 1866 and its champions through two-thirds
of the twentieth century were slipping steadily away. And
this with a Royal Charter! It was recognised that something
drastic had to be done and I was given that task. We
needed to capture the hearts and minds of the captains of
the global aerospace community and to use their muscle
to restore this jewel to their crown. Many Boardrooms
listened to our 20th century presentations inspiring their
commitment to restore this historic emblem and they
responded royally. This task took me around the world, in
the process capturing a unique picture of the dimensions
of the aerospace community, and meeting those who were
key players in configuring its future technologically and
strategically and using TV and the media to enliven and
influence a wider audience. All these efforts fed back into
revitalising the elegant Park Lane RAeS Headquarters as
the pre-eminent aerospace nerve centre for professional
excellence, exchange and development recognised
throughout the world.”
Following his retirement in 1998, Ron served as a Non
Executive Director of the NHS from 2000 to 2006 and
was a Member of the Development Committee and the
University Court of the University of Hertfordshire from
2004 to 2007. “I hope today’s Bradford College students
can look forward to such an enjoyable and fulfilling career.
Thanks to Bradford College for helping in the humble
beginnings.”
Photograph supplied by Ron Kennett