Bedfordshire Lieutenancy: New Deputy Lieutenant Appointment for Bedfordshire
Monday, 11 July 2022
The new Deputy Lieutenant is Professor Dame Helen Atkinson DBE, FREng.
Deputy lieutenants assist the Lord-Lieutenant and Vice Lord-Lieutenant in their work to support voluntary, community, statutory, civic, armed forces, business and many other aspects of county life which seek to bring kindness, opportunity and cohesion in Bedfordshire.
Commenting on the commission, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire said:
I am delighted to welcome Professor Dame Helen Atkinson to the Lieutenancy team. Helen brings with her a wealth of international professional experience, many years of dedicated commitment to our county, energy and enthusiasm. I am confident that Helen will continue to make a huge impact in Bedfordshire; she will be an asset to the Lieutenancy team which is dedicated to supporting and shining a light on those who work so hard to make Bedfordshire such a kind, respectful, vibrant and richly diverse county where all feel welcome and can flourish.
Short Biography of Professor Dame Helen Atkinson
Helen Atkinson is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, one of the four Cranfield Schools. She was made CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in 2014 and DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2021 for services to engineering and education. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the highest honour for an engineer in the UK, in 2007.
Helen was the first woman President of the Engineering Professors’ Council (the body which represents engineering in universities throughout the UK) in its fifty-year history and has also served as a Vice President and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Her service at national level has included the Skills Panel of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Engineering Leaders Panel of the National Council for Universities and Business, and chairing the Education and Skills Committee at the Royal Academy of Engineering. She was formerly a member of the British Transport Police Committee (the equivalent of a Police Authority) and a Secretary of State appointment representing the public interest on a major safety committee for a government department. Helen chairs ‘This is Engineering’ for the Royal Academy of Engineering, a major social media campaign to change the public perception of what engineering is and to encourage more young people (and their parents and advisors) to see engineering as a really exciting and interesting career.
Helen is a Trustee of the St Albans Cathedral Education Trust. The Diocese of St. Albans covers both Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and Helen represents the interests of Bedfordshire on the Education Trust for the Cathedral.
Helen is married to the Bishop of Bedford and has lived in Bedfordshire since 2012.