IBM UK executive Dr Dave Watson appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year 2017 Honours List

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has appointed IBM (NYSE: IBM) executive Dr Dave Watson to be Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year 2017 Honours list.

Dr Watson’s citation notes his services to Science and Engineering Research.

As a Director of IBM Research, Dr Watson leads a team helping UK industry capitalise on emerging cognitive and high performance computing technologies. Application areas include high accuracy formulation in consumer goods, manufacturing challenges and life sciences projects such as precision agriculture, anti-microbial surfaces and genomics. He is based at IBM Hursley near Winchester.

Dr Watson also has a long history of involvement with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the body that funds around £1B of research a year in UK universities. EPSRC supports subjects as diverse as Chemistry, IT, Materials, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, and Electronics. His work with the council started in 2004 when he joined the Industrial Advisory Panel of EPSRC.

In 2007 he became Chair of the Research Councils UK Digital Economy Advisory Board and was appointed to Council, the governing body, of EPSRC in 2009. His term on Council was extended for a further four years in 2013. At that time, he joined the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, a group he has chaired since 2014.

Commenting on the appointment, Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director of IBM Research said “Dr Watson’s appointment is a well deserved accolade that exemplifies his contribution to help Britain research and be prepared for future technology evolutions. Over many years, he has dedicated his skills and expertise to help set research and also training in engineering and the physical sciences in the right direction to ensure that the world’s biggest problems and boundaries of knowledge continue to advance.”

David Stokes, Chief Executive IBM UK & Ireland said, “On behalf of all UK IBMers I want to congratulate Dave on this tremendous recognition. IBM has been a long serving member of the business community in this country and many IBMers over the years have contributed to important technology, business and social issues during this time. I am very proud of Dave’s contributions and pleased to see this long history continue.”

Dr Watson said, “I am immensely proud to have been given this honour. My work over the past 12 years with EPSRC has been very enriching and enjoyable in both a personal and business capacity. It is very interesting to be involved in how the UK handles the next generation of technological change. It is a privilege to work with the EPSRC Executive in Swindon and also to have spent time on Council with some of the UK’s most eminent scientists and engineers.”