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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. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. 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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