Former Hamilton Academy pupil gets honorary doctorate

Nov 19 2009 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

A FORMER PUPIL of Hamilton Academy returned to his old university last week to receive an honorary doctorate.

High Blantyre-born Archie Bethel, chief executive of Babcock Marine and a former student at Strathclyde University, was honoured at one of the autumn graduation ceremonies at Barony Hall.

Professor Jim McDonald, principal of the university, said they were extremely pleased to welcome him back to Strathclyde after he had excelled in his area of work, making significant contributions to his field

Mr Bethel graduated from Strathclyde's Department of Mechanical Engineering and later became one of the first graduates of Strathclyde's distance learning MBA programme.

Since completing his first degree in 1975, he has worked in four sectors, rising to the top in each field.

As a graduate engineer, he joined the oil industry with Vetco Gray in Aberdeen before travelling to Houston in a design engineer role. He joined the research and development section and became its director before returning to the UK in 1985 as managing director, UK Operations, at the age of 35.

In 1991, he joined the Scottish Enterprise Network and headed up a staff of 120, working with local companies and public sector agencies to regenerate the Lanarkshire economy in the post steel era.

Mr Bethel was awarded an OBE in 1996.

He later became chief operating officer of the Motherwell Bridge Group, with a staff of 4000. He was responsible for the day-to-day running of the group and their major presence in the UK power and nuclear industries and worldwide in the oil and gas sector.

Currently, Mr Bethel is chief executive of Babcock Marine, who are currently building two state-of-the-art aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy at Rosyth, and is responsible for its financial and operational performance.

The firm employ 10,000 people, have a turnover of around £1.2bn and are the largest provider of engineering services to the Royal Navy.

Mr Bethel was made a CBE in 2008. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; has been vice-president and treasurer of the Institution of Mechanical engineering since 2001 and was president of Scottish Engineering from 2003-2005.

He has been a long-term industrial advisor and invited lecturer at Strathclyde University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, and introduced the BIG Academy in Babcock Marine in conjunction with Strathclyde Business School – an executive development programme which has been undertaken by more than 400 senior managers in four years.

Mr Bethel and his wife, Doreen, have lived in East Kilbride more than 20 years.