I am honoured to have been invited to be with you apprentices this evening as you receive your certificates and awards in recognition of your hard work during your training with Safran, and those of you still on the journey.

I am Jackie Heywood, eldest of Sir Robert Hunt’s four daughters. I live in Bath with my husband, Peter, and am joined here this evening by Peter, and by two of my nephews – Charles and Timothy Cadbury.

I am so pleased that Safran has now initiated the Sir Robert Hunt award, to be presented each year to an outstanding apprentice, and we are pleased as a family to be involved in making this possible, and in encouraging and congratulating you all this evening, wherever you are on your apprenticeship journey.

My father was a remarkable man, and was very successful in his career, and I’m sure that if he were here now, he would want to give you a few tips on how to make a difference in your career, how to work well with other people, how to be creative, how to take risks, how to make decisions.  

So let’s look at his story. He worked for the Dowty Group, amazingly for over 50 years. Dowty preceded Safran. A long career, in one company. Everyone called him Bob.

He joined the company as its first apprentice, and he rose to be the Chairman and Chief Executive of what was then a major global engineering group of companies, taking over from Sir George Dowty when he died in 1975.

So now, what are these tips, these messages? Well here’s the first one, and it’s this...Love what you do.

Enjoy being an engineer, or whatever discipline you are in. Embrace all the possibilities. You probably do already. Here’s my father’s story. He was an engineer, and he loved it.

Bob was born in 1918, near the end of World war 1, in Leckhampton where he attended the village primary school followed by the Cheltenham Grammar School. At the age of 12 he became fascinated by the latest transport technology of the time – motor cars and aeroplanes. These were the new superstar technologies of the 1930’s. He spent all his spare time working with the mechanics in his local repair garage in Leckhampton.

By the time he was 15 he was allowed to remove an engine from the chassis, overhaul it, replace it and then test drive the vehicle over the hills!  No driving tests in those days.  

Now here's his next message...being an apprentice is an excellent start to your career...and you’ve all made that step already. But his story was a little bit different. Let me tell you.

In 1935, Bob was introduced to George Dowty who had started his company four years before, making landing gear. There was no apprenticeship programme in this young company. So, undeterred, Bob asked George if he would start one! And he did! And Bob became the first apprentice, with day release to the college. He was the first of many more, over all these years, and the tradition continues with you today.

Now the next message. It’s this...It’s more fun to be at the cutting edge, if you can. Don’t just do the familiar. Step out of your comfort zone, if you can.    

Here’s an example. In 1940, Bob became involved as a draughtsman in designing landing gear that was used in Frank Whittle’s jet propelled Gloster Aeroplane. That was cutting edge, new technology.This was during the second world war, and was built secretly here in Cheltenham and the test work took place at Cranwell. And today, you’re still at the cutting edge in Safran, with all your work in what is now the space industry. So the story continues.

Now the next message is this...build your networks...get to know people wherever you can, help them, and let them see how good you are.

For my father, this started when he was seconded to the RAF during the war to train aircrew and ground and flight engineers in how to keep their planes flying, and then spent two years lecturing at Bomber Command stations around the country. In doing so he got to know a lot of people in many significant companies. Excellent networking, and very good experience.

So what’s next? It’s this...be confident and look confident. It’ll help you to stand out. My father certainly was, enormously, and it helped him to move forward throughout his career.

So at the end of the war he became the manager of Dowty’s newly formed Industrial Design Department. He then set up and managed the new Export Department for the company, and his lifetime of world travel began, making further industry network contacts both in Europe and North America. That takes...confidence.

And now...next one...think strategically, and think big. In 1948, Bob started setting up a new factory near Toronto in Canada, employing hundreds of people, and making landing gear. This took a lot of strategic thinking and planning, and a lot of management skills. Being tough, being decisive, and taking the right decisions. My earliest years were there, in Canada, and I remember it well.

The next message is this, but you may not agree with it...

Your career is important, so be prepared to move, even across the world, even if you’d rather stay. I don’t expect that many of you will be asked to make this choice. But remember, good opportunities sometimes don’t come round again, if you say no.

That was the situation with my parents. Dowty Canada had grown rapidly, after a few years generating more than half the profits of the whole company, and was doing very well, but in 1956 Bob was asked to return to Cheltenham, even though we all loved living in Canada. 

And he agreed to return. So we came back. Mind you, it wasn’t just for any job.He had been asked, on returning to England, if he would take on the roles of CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Dowty Group, which he did.

The company then started to grow fast, further extending into mining, then industrial hydraulics, and then hydraulic seals. In 1959 he oversaw the takeover of Rotol from Rolls Royce and Bristol Aircraft, at their request.

During the 1960’s to 1980’s he led the company in starting to do business in India, in Japan, in the Middle East, and then forming Dowty Messier, followed by working on Concorde with Aerospaciale in France. Lots of changes, lots of growth, thousands of new people in the organisation.

In 1975 Sir George Dowty died of cancer, and was much missed by all. It was at that point that my father was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of the Group. He continued building new connections, and growing and building the business in many different ways, including into the electronics business and providing new products for, amongst others, the Ministry of Defence.

He retired in 1986, after 51 years in the company. A very long time.

And the last message from him would be this...do stuff outside work. You have skills that you can share. And other people, other charities, other organisations, need you. So do what you can.

For my father, he was the voluntary Chair of the Cheltenham Hospital management team, and then also chaired the new local Area Health Authority – all in his spare time! What an amazing contribution to the Cheltenham and Gloucester area.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s he was twice elected President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies which he considered to be a great honour. And of course he was knighted by the Queen.

Over the years, he presided over many Apprentices Awards events, with many hundreds of apprentices from every part of the Dowty group, and he would be delighted to see you all here today.  

He died in 2004 aged 86. A very full life, enthusiastically well lived.

He would say to you all...well done...go for it...be yourself...be your best self. And enjoy it.

He would have been thrilled to know that this award is being made in his name this evening, to two outstanding apprentices who epitomise some of the great qualities that we have been thinking about from my father’s life.

Thank you.

Lady Jackie Heywood 

SAFRAN APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS

17 November 2023

Cover photo: Sir Robert Hunt with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1981 at the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Dowty Group, at the Dowty Group headquarters Arle Court in Cheltenham - now known as the Manor By the Lake.

A date for the diary: there will be a Dowty Organ Recital at 3 pm on Saturday April 6th 2024 at Pershore Abbey. Organist Simon Bell of Dean Close School, Cheltenham, and Director of Tewkesbury Abbey’s Schola Cantorum. The Welcome will be given by Martin Robins, Chairman of the Sir George Dowty Memorial Committee. Attendance is not confined to former Dowty personnel.