Dr Keith Hawken

Dr Keith J Hawken DBA (Hons), CEng, FIAgrE

I am Dr Keith Hawken and currently I am assisting several organisations as an Engineering and Standards coach. Presently guiding MSc mechatronics course students at the University of Evora in Portugal. I am a member of IAgrE council as representative of EurAgEng, the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, where I am also a council member. I mentor students who wish to reach professional status, via the Engineering council, and the IAgrE route. I am a current member of the British Standards Society and worked with colleagues on a new face mask standard during 2021, using my PPE knowledge and experience.

From 2000 to 2020 I was the Technical & Standards Director of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) working with members and legislative partners, where I was responsible for the technical and safety issues in the Agricultural machinery, Crop protection, Outdoor power products and all-terrain vehicles suite. I represented the AEA at more than 100 different committees (International Chair of harvesting and conservation, PTO Shafts, mowers, balers, thrown objects, safety, and portable forestry machinery).

Previously to this I spent 27 years working with Qualcast garden products, Atco lawnmowers and Robert Bosch power tools, mainly in research and development. My many roles included two full apprenticeships (tool making and jig/tool design), production engineer, CAD system manager and product safety approvals manager for all homologation matters. 

Over many years I have had published various standards internationally, all written with practical experience and a sound knowledge of national standards body procedures. Several citations and papers of mine have been published in global publications.

I am a member of the American society of agricultural and biological engineers (ASABE) and participate in standards committees including cab filtration and harvesting equipment.

As a Chartered Engineer I achieved the title of Eur Ing (European Engineer) after extended dissertation on safety related standards subjects aligned with legislative procedures in Europe. 

I graduated from the University of Derby with further post graduate chartered studies via the Cranfield University Silsoe campus. I was a trustee of the Douglas Bomford trust from 2017 to 2020. I have been a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers since 2014 and am an active membership committee participant.  I received the IAgrE Award of Merit in 2020. I am a member of the Club of Bologna an exclusive development of agricultural mechanisation engineers aligned to that university. In 2016 I was awarded Doctor of Business Administration (Hons), Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware-Innova, USA.