Engineering in a changing world: Covid-19, Brexit and Beyond will be the theme of the 2020 Presidential Address to members by our President, Maurice Buckley, delivered online, on Friday evening 25 September at 6:30pm. 

Please note that registration is essential and a Zoom link to access the Address will be sent to all registered attendees on the morning of the event i.e. Friday, 25 September. 

If you would like to attend this evening's Address but have missed today's 11am deadline, please contact webeditor@engineersireland.ie and a Zoom link will be emailed to you. This email account will be monitored throughout the Address. 

To comply with current covid-19 strict social distancing measures for indoor gatherings including the Level 3 restriction for Dublin, our Presidential Address will be offered only online and will be undertaken remotely. Thank you for your understanding.  

Building on his chosen themes for his presidential year, Maurice will use his Address to initiate a debate on the role of engineers and Engineers Ireland in the changed Ireland we will find ourselves in, post Covid-19 and post Brexit. For example:

  • Can the profession of engineering deliver the solutions needed to re-boot the economy with effective infrastructural investment, advanced manufacturing and new supply chains and logistics? 
  • How can engineers best live up to society’s expectations in applying modern technology to new forms of sustainable transport, housing, energy and water management? 
  • How has the thinking of engineers, as the inventors of the coal-fired power station and the diesel car, evolved to present ourselves credibly as the champions of sustainability and climate action?  

In addition, Maurice will discuss how Engineers Ireland can increase its presence and adapt its role to best serve the profession in this new paradigm. One way is to strengthen our Sectors (i.e. our Regional branches, Engineering divisions and Societies) and embrace engineers from a broader range of specialisms and backgrounds.

Another is to gain competitive advantage for companies and individuals in Ireland through a more active role in standardisation. Can Engineers Ireland be a melting pot for innovation and idea exchange between engineers and other business experts? Can we set and nurture high professional standards while encouraging the ‘rebel talent’ that is so important to entrepreneurial success?

Biography of Maurice Buckley

Maurice Buckley is an electrical engineering graduate from University College Dublin and is the Executive Chairman of the Office of Public Works (OPW) where he is leading large-scale investment programmes to improve Ireland’s flood defences and public buildings, both modern and heritage. Maurice comes from an engineering background with his late father, Denis Buckley, President of Engineers Ireland’s Western Region in the 1970s. Maurice, a Chartered Engineer, has worked for the Boston Consulting Group in Munich, held senior management roles in Industry, and was also the Chief Executive of the NSAI with responsibility for the country’s standardisation, certification and metrology activities. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, France, and is a Chartered Director. Maurice was elected Vice-President of Engineers Ireland in 2018 and became our President in June 2020.