Engineers Ireland Fellow Prof Don McQuillan becomes the 2020 – and 100th – president of the Institution of Structural Engineers, and will deliver his inaugural address on Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Prof McQuillan said: “It is a very special honour to be invited to be our institution’s 100th president, particularly at a time when the rate of change is unprecedented.

'Paradigm shift in mindset and behaviour'

"The climate change emergency, in particular, which demands a paradigm shift in mindset and behaviour, means that we will all have to adapt much more rapidly than ever before.

"The exponential rate of change we are already experiencing could result in the next 30-year period being equivalent to the previous 100 years in terms of its significance.”

Specialising in project managing large multidisciplinary projects and in forensic engineering, Prof McQuillan is a director at global professional services firm RPS.

First elected to the Institution of Structural Engineers Council in 1989, Prof McQuillan, pictured, has remained involved at the headquarters ever since, and has been particularly prominent in shaping the development of the journal 'The Structural Engineer'. He still serves on the editorial advisory group today.

He also served as chairman of the Northern Ireland Region in 1999/2000.

Highly experienced and successful structural engineer

A highly experienced and successful structural engineer, Prof McQuillan has authored many technical papers, some award winning, and is also an RAE visiting professor at Queen's University Belfast.

He is passionate about mentoring younger engineers, providing technical support and guidance to members and promoting the institution as the world leader in structural engineering. He is also in demand as an expert witness and is currently involved in a major case in Hong Kong.