Our Team
Meet the team
At the core of the Primary Engineer team is the understanding that the work we do has a tremendous effect on children’s lives. Alongside the hard work there is a lot of laughter and a significant ‘wow’ factor – you only have to join in one of our activities to see why we do it!
Dr Susan Scurlock MBE
Founder & CEO of Primary Engineer
Dr Susan Scurlock MBE, Founder & CEO of Primary Engineer
I enjoyed primary school thoroughly, well apart from music, barn dancing and learning French! I especially loved art, maths, physics, and history. I was one of only two girls in the physics class and, to my irritation still, was not allowed to study Technical Drawing as it was a ‘boys only’ subject at the time! If I am honest my nickname at secondary school was SWOT – I loved being in the classroom, and always did my homework on time!
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
I founded Primary Engineer in 2005 and over the years worked with the team to develop many programmes aimed at inspiring all young people with and towards engineering careers. I firmly believe that all children should have the opportunity to engage with engineering as a right! And that due to that be able to achieve their potential.
Chris Rochester
UK Director & Head of Partnerships
Chris Rochester, UK Director
When I was at Primary School I wanted to be a journalist – I think initially it was wanting to be Clark Kent (and of course Superman), but later ‘Press Gang’(a great TV show for kids – Google it)r was an influence too. I liked the idea of investigating and finding out about things and had a passion for reading and really enjoyed writing.
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
I joined Primary Engineer in 2014 having been a primary school teacher and initially designed Primary Engineer’s Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering STEM and the Early Years Engineer Programme. As UK Director, I head up our Partnerships with funders and supporters across all Primary Engineer Programmes working with our existing stakeholders and developing new relationships with engineering industry, businesses and education partners.
Jamie McIlvenny
Operations Manager
Jamie McIlvenny, Operations Manager
When I was at Primary School I would love to have become an Astronaut! I was obsessed with the Space Shuttle missions (still am!) with a great influence from my Aunt who worked for NASA as a Marine Biologist in Maine, USA and I would love to look at satellite images she would send me on the work she was doing. I believe having agencies such as UK Space and ESA make becoming an astronaut a much more likely option for many British youngsters today.
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
I’m the Operations Manager at Primary Engineer which means I and our Operations team take care of the day-to-day processes, ensuring they are carried out in the best way and support the business deliver programmes for Schools to take part, inspiring young children with engineering.
Andrew Norris
Head of Partnerships – Central England
Andrew Norris, Head of Partnerships – Central England
Some of my earliest memories are of time spent on my Grandad’s farm so any job that involved tractors or diggers would probably have been top of the list!
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
As a member of the Partnerships team I build relationships with business, local government and universities. This involves looking for organisations with similar aims to Primary Engineer and explaining ways in which we can work together. I also enjoy working with our existing funders and love hearing about the difference made to our lives by engineers.
Nathalie Cachet-Gaujard
Head of Partnerships - North of England
Nathalie Cachet-Gaujard, Head of Partnerships - North of England
What did I want to do when I was at primary school? Can’t quite remember if it was an investigative journalist. Interests moved on and I did not become a war journalist but I have remained inquisitive.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
I look after Primary Engineer existing partners in the North of England and develop new relationships. We work with industry, academic and civic partners across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber to bring the Primary Engineer programmes to schools across the North of England and inspire the next generation of engineers.
Rowan Maclean
Head of Partnerships - Scotland
Rowan Maclean, Head of Partnerships - Scotland
Honestly depends on the day of the week. I wanted to do everything. Anything I read, watched or listened to, that was for me. The only consistent thing I wanted to do was work at the Woolworths Pick n’ mix counter which 1 – wasn’t really a thing, and 2 – shows my age
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
As Head of Partnerships for Scotland my role involves managing the growth of Primary Engineer Programmes throughout Scotland and forming new partnerships with inspiring and exciting companies, institutions and organisations.
Scott Dalgleish
Head of Marketing and Communications
Scott Dalgleish, Head of Marketing and Communications
One Christmas I asked for Bagpipes or a set of drums, deciding that I was going to play in a band with whatever instrument I received. When neither showed up on Christmas morning I quickly moved on to wanting to be a firefighter!
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
I am the Head of Marketing & Communications at Primary Engineer. I focus on raising the profile of Primary Engineer and our partners, helping spread the word about the amazing work we do and let everybody know that we are helping inspire the next generation of engineers.
Karuna Mistry
Events Manager
Karuna Mistry, Events Manager
When I was in primary school I really wanted to be a teacher, I loved helping others in my class and was always the first one to volunteer to be the teacher’s assistant however, whilst I was in high school I helped my dad organise my mums 40th surprise birthday and from there I knew I wanted to be an Events Manager and here I am today.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
My role at Primary Engineer involves organising and managing all events from start to finish which includes grading days, judging days, awards, exhibitions, and celebration events. I work closely with the service delivery team to ensure the events run smoothly.
Rachael Lee
HR & Office Manager
Rachael Lee, Office Administrator
When I was in Primary School I wanted to be many different things depending on what was going on around me or what TV show I’d recently watched. I always had a passion for theatre and ended up studying it throughout my school life as well as performing on stage with local drama groups. I also wanted to be a marine biologist and excelled in Biology. I also wanted to be an author, one of the many things I wanted to be as a child that I am working to achieve in my adult life. I also wanted to be a property developer; taking derelict houses, and returning them to their former glory, doing the majority of the work myself as I have always been very hands on and enjoy learning new skills.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
At Primary Engineer I am the Office Administrator working with Operations, Human Resources and Accounts to ensure our employees, funders and the schools we supply to are looked after and have everything they need.
Joe Bradbury
Education Product Designer
Joe Bradbury, Education Product Designer
An astronaut. In fact, I still do. And if by some miracle the opportunity was presented to me right now, that’s what I would do. The dream of going up into space to explore the cosmos, revelling at the beauty of the Earth, the moon and the stars from above, excites me no end. It is still, for now, a dream, but a dream that I have carried since I was very young. My interest in science and STEM have always been with me too – from cars to dinosaurs, robots to a love of nature, my youth was filled with times of awe and wonder that inspired me to be the person I am today. And in my role as a teacher and now as curriculum designer, I aim to show teachers how they can provide opportunities to deliver awe and wonder to their learners, like my teachers did for me.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
I joined Primary Engineer as Education Product Designer in September 2021. Having been a primary teacher for 18 years, I use my extensive experience as a primary STEM advisor to design fun and engaging lessons and classroom resources to enhance Primary Engineer’s existing products, as well as design new learning experiences and products to Primary Engineer’s growing curriculum. I am also responsible for leading Primary Engineer’s teacher training programmes – the hugely successful PGCert in Engineering STEM Learning and the Engineering STEM in your classroom short course. I also deliver online CPD training for teachers, in particular Primary Engineer’s Rail Project.
Ciaran McKenzie-Johnston
Product Manager
Ciaran McKenzie-Johnston, Product Manager
I was obsessed with Dinosaurs and was sure I would be a Palaeontologist when I grew up. One of my earliest memories was my first day of school, and being shown the box of dinosaur toys!
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
I am Primary Engineer’s Product Manager and lead my team in the development of our programmes from concept to realisation. We create fun and innovative designs and experiences to engage pupils and get them excited about the world of engineering. I am also continuously improving our existing products to make sure Primary Engineer offers the cutting edge of engineering education for young people.
Nick Donnelly
Trainer
David Foxcroft
Service Delivery Manager
David Foxcroft, Service Delivery Lead
At Primary School I was obsessed with Lego. I wanted to build rockets and go and perform on other planets. I also loved reading and researching and thought about being a journalist. We set up a school newspaper and I loved my name being the main reporter on a story!
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
Together with my team I look after how we work our partners – whether they’re schools, engineers, universities, or industry supporters. We help make it as easy as possible for schools to take part in our work and inspire as many young people as possible with the possibilities of engineering.
Josh Holt
Service Delivery Product Delivery Lead
Josh Holt, Service Delivery Co-Ordinator
I wanted to be a chef throughout my time at primary school. Inspired by my grandma’s cooking and baking, I loved the magic of turning ingredients into a masterpiece. I may not be a chef now, but I’m certainly a professional eater.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
My role is to facilitate Primary Engineer’s STEM Projects and Programmes in Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. I work closely with National and local funders of the organisation, university partners across the U.K. and the schools that benefit from all of our fantastic products.
Sophie Chatfield-Cox
Service Delivery Contract Manager
Sophie Chatfield-Cox, Service Delivery Contract Manager
When I was at primary school, I loved Science and wanted to be a Coroner and perform autopsies, however at High School I discovered my love for acting and went on to get a degree in Drama, quite the change!
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
My Role at Primary Engineer is ensuring that everything is taken care of, from the moment a new funding partner comes on board, a school is recruited all the way to the celebration of our achievement at the end. This and everything in between. I am a constant supporter of everyone we are involved with, be it partners or teachers.
Daniel Habany
Operations Stock Controller
Daniel Habany, Operations Assistant
Paleontologist
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
Operations Assistant, charged with organising stock, sending and packing kits, as well as general warehouse upkeep.
Bronwyn Jones
Service Delivery Contract Manager
Bronwyn Jones, Service Delivery Contract Manager
In Primary school I wanted to be a doctor as I really enjoyed helping people. Soon after I made this decision, I was told hold how many more years of school & homework that would require and I soon changed my mind. I then had the same issue afterwards when I considered becoming a Dentist.
After school I went on to pursue a career in Hospitality and Events Management, this allowed me to look after people in a different way, I learnt to identify people’s needs before they did and always made sure to exceed expectation. I love knowing that everyone has best experience right from our first encounter.
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
At Primary Engineer, my role is Contract Manager, this means that I look after everyone involved with us and support them throughout our journey together. I work with everyone from the funders to the teachers at the school, to the engineers we recruit to support schools and then with the children at our celebration events. Being that point of contact means that I keep everyone updated on what’s going on, what is happening next and what impact we have been able to achieve with the programme.
Steph Shencoe
Graphic Design and Marketing Co-ordinator
Steph Shencoe, Graphic Design and Marketing Co-ordinator
When I was 7, I wanted to be a hairdresser then I inevitably changed my mind and decided I wanted to be a vet. Growing up we always had pets and I loved animals however, I was soon put off and disappointed when someone said that there is more to being a vet than just feeding and cuddling animals! Then the final thing I wanted to be when I was in primary school was a singer songwriter and I even wrote my own song which I sung at the Year 6 Talent Show (cringey!). No more talent shows for me haha but I still enjoy karaoke in my car driving to work and quietly singing to the office radio though. One thing that has been consistent through the years is my creative nature through photography, creative writing and design!
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
As the Graphic Design and Marketing Co-Ordinator at Primary Engineer, I use my passion for all things creative and digital to create content for various campaigns and platforms. This work helps to spread awareness of the fantastic work we do and help inspire engineers in the making!
Becca Dean
Service Delivery Co-ordinator
Becca Dean, Service Delivery Co-ordinator
Growing up, I wanted to be an Author. This changed during my teenage years to wanting to be an Air Traffic Controller in the RAF.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
Now I have taken a career in customer service and joined Primary Engineer as a Service Delivery Co-ordinator, introducing our incredible projects to schools and getting them signed up.
Rachael Nutter
Service Delivery Contract Manager
Sandy Ibbitson
Service Delivery Co-ordinator
Sandy Ibbitson, Service Delivery Co-ordinator
When I was in Primary school, I was always a bit of a daydreamer, thinking about the weekend when my roller skates or ice skates would be on my feet, and I would be out all day having fun. I also spent a lot of time drawing pictures and writing short stories with the dream of becoming an illustrator for children’s books when I grew up.
What does your role at Primary Engineer involve?
My job as a Service Delivery Co-Ordinator is a very rewarding job. I enjoy contacting schools to inform them of the amazing fully-funded projects and programs we have available to them in their area. Being on the phone with teachers means I get to build a strong relationship with that school and help support opportunities for their pupils in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
Ricky Kay
Service Delivery Co-ordinator
Roxanne McIlvenny
Special Project Manager
Roxanne McIlvenny, Special Project Manager
For as long as I can remember in primary school I wanted to be a paediatrician, I would tell everyone I wanted to be a baby doctor when I grew up! Attending school in a rural setting I also thought I would be a farmer’s wife and look after pigs and chickens too.. Ambitious! considering the demanding shift patterns of both careers.
What does your role at primary Engineer involve?
As Special Project Manager it is my joy to celebrate the pupils, schools and industry involved in Primary Engineer programmes. Engaging with past and present participants, celebrating their involvement and achievements through a variety of ways and in turn helping to inspire a new generation of young people with real-life ‘people like me’ experiences and engineering.