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Draft:Katy Deacon

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Katy Deacon
BEng MEng CEng FIET
EducationUHI Perth (HND)
City University, London ( BEng)
Loughborough University (Masters)
OccupationManaging Director
Known forLeading the Change in Engineering and Inclusion
AwardsAwards and Recognition
Websitetowardsbelonging.co.uk

Katy Deacon is a British engineer and accessibility advocate. She specialises in inclusive engineering design and is the founder and Managing Director of Towards Belonging Ltd,[1][2]. Deacon is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)[3][2][4] and serves as the organisation's Vice President and trustee.[5][1][2][4] She has received numerous awards for her work in engineering and inclusivity, including the Disability Personality of the Year award in 2025.[4][6]

Early life and education

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After completing her A-levels at Greenhead College, Deacon joined the British Airways Professional Engineering Programme as an avionics graduate apprentice. She gained an HND in Aeronautical Engineering at Perth College and a BEng (hons) degree in Transport Engineering at City University, London.[3][2]

She later earned an MSc in Renewable Energy, Low Carbon Buildings, and Electrical Building Services Design from Loughborough University while working in the building services industry.[2] During her studies, she developed an award-winning toolkit for architects and engineers to design buildings with renewable energy systems.[2][7] She also completed a postgraduate degree in Information Governance and Assurance from Aberystwyth University.[8]

Career

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After completing her degree and apprenticeship with British Airways, Deacon transitioned to the building services sector due to difficulties in the aviation industry.[3] She worked briefly as a technical support engineer at Daletech Electronics[9] before joining Kirklees Council, where she progressed through various engineering roles.[9][3][2] At Kirklees, she specialised in energy conservation, low carbon building design, and renewable energy implementation for educational institutions.[10][11][12][2] Her later position at the council was as Information Governance Manager & Data Protection Officer.[3]

She has since established her own business, Towards Belonging Ltd, where she serves as Managing Director.[13][3][14][1][2] The company connects the disabled community with the engineering industry and promotes inclusive engineering design principles.[2]

In 2024, Deacon was appointed as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at both the University of Aston and the University of Huddersfield, specialising in Inclusive Engineering Design.[13][3][1][2][4] At Huddersfield's School of Computing and Engineering, she contributes to curriculum development with a focus on inclusive design principles.[4] Her academic work incorporates perspectives gained from her experience as a wheelchair user.[13][2][4]

Awards and recognition

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Deacon has received several prestigious awards throughout her career:

Personal life

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In 2012, Deacon was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis (MS) and is a wheelchair user.[19][20][13][4] She is married and has two children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Katy Deacon CEng FIET". Disability Power 100. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Meet Katy Deacon". FlippingBook. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Board of Trustees Biographies 2024-2025 - Katy Deacon". The Institution of Engineering and Technology. 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Visiting Professor for inclusive engineering wins national Empowerment Award". University of Huddersfield. March 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ^ "Board of Trustees". The Institution of Engineering and Technology. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Female engineer Katy Deacon chosen for national campaign". Examiner Live. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Kirklees engineer to focus on women's role in industry". BBC News Bradford. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Disability Speaker Katy Deacon at Great British Speakers". Great British Speakers. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Katy collects top engineer award". Spenborough Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Katy is top UK engineer". Halifax Courier. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Katy engineers success". The Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Interview: Katy Deacon, Young Woman Engineer of the Year". The Independent. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d "Katy Deacon - Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor Awardees 2024-25". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  14. ^ "WE50 2024: Enhanced by Engineering". Women's Engineering Society. 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  15. ^ "IET announces Young Woman Engineer of the Year". Electrical Review. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Engineering's most ingenious women". Engineering & Technology Magazine. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Previous Karen Burt Award Winners", Women's Engineering Society (archived from the original on 23 September 2020)
  18. ^ "Katy Deacon CEng FIET". Disability Power 100. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Keep Inching". Overcoming MS. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  20. ^ "Reimagining My Mobility". Overcoming MS. March 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
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