Allan Cook CBE, Chairman, W S Atkins plc

Allan Cook was appointed a non-executive director of WS Atkins plc in September 2009, taking up the post of chairman on 1 February 2010. He is a chartered engineer with more than 30 years’ international experience in the automotive, aerospace and defence industries. He was chief executive of Cobham PLC until the end of December 2009. Prior to this he held senior roles at GEC-Marconi, BAE Systems and Hughes Aircraft. He is a non-executive director of Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Limited and a member of the operating executive board of J.F. Lehman & Company. He is also chairman of UK Trade & Investment’s Advanced Engineering Sector Advisory Board, chairman of the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA), past president of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), past president of the Society of British Aerospace and Defence Companies (SBAC), director of the Industry Forum, director of the Apprentice Ambassador Network and a committee member of the UK Ministerial Advisory Group for Manufacturing. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2008 and is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.