First Woman to be awarded the silver medal at the Royal Academy of Engineering
February 2014, IBM Hursley, Hampshire
b.1965, Bath
An IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor. In 2001 at the age of 36, Chessell became the first woman to be awarded the Silver Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK’s organisation of leading engineers (founded in 1976). The Silver Medal was established in 1994 to recognise outstanding personal contributions to British engineering. 76 men have been awarded the medal; Mandy is one of only 6 women to have won it to date.