Dawn Childs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Dawn Childs
DBE FREng FICE FIMechE FRAeS RAF (rtd.)
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Childs at Thorpe Park in 2016
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| Born |
Dawn Elizabeth Elson
29 November 1970 |
| Nationality | British |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineer |
| Military career | |
| Service/ |
 Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Wing commander |
Dame Dawn Elizabeth Childs is a super inspiring British engineer. She was born on November 29, 1970. She has worked in many different types of engineering, like mechanical, aeronautical (which is about aircraft), and civil engineering (which is about buildings and roads).
Dame Dawn is known for being the first woman in several important engineering jobs. She was the first female engineer in many roles in the Royal Air Force (RAF). She was also the first female head of engineering at a major international airport. She works hard to help other women and girls get into engineering. Currently, she is the chief executive officer of Pure Data Centres Group Ltd.
Education and Early Career
Dame Dawn Childs went to Bedgebury Girls School. She then studied mechanical engineering at the University of Bath. After that, she continued her studies with special courses. She earned a Master of Defence Administration from Cranfield University. She also got a Master of Arts in defence studies from King's College London.
Right after school, Dame Dawn joined the RAF as an engineering officer. She was part of the Bristol University Air Squadron while at Bath University. Later, she completed her officer training at RAF College Cranwell.
Pioneering Roles in Engineering
Dame Dawn served in the RAF for 23 years. During this time, she held many different positions. She was the first woman to hold several of these important jobs.
- She was the first female Senior Engineering Officer (SEngO) on 216 Squadron.
- She was also the first female Officer Commanding Engineering Wing (OC Eng Wg) at RAF Waddington. In this role, she was in charge of keeping special aircraft ready for missions. These aircraft were used for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).
In 2012, Dame Dawn left the RAF. She then moved to Gatwick Airport. There, she became the first woman to be the Head of Engineering at a big international airport. This was a huge achievement!
After Gatwick, she joined Merlin Entertainments plc in 2016. This company runs many theme parks and attractions around the world. She created a new engineering team to set standards for all their locations.
She also became an Ambassador for Alton College in 2014. In 2015, she joined the board of World Skills UK. In 2019, she started working at National Grid plc as the UK Change Director. Since August 2021, she has been the chief executive officer (Operations) at Pure Data Centres Group Ltd. In May 2023, she became the chief executive officer for the entire Pure Data Centres Group.
Awards and Recognition
Dame Dawn Childs has received many awards for her amazing work.
- In 1997, she won the Barrie Smart Memorial Award for her contributions to the RAF. She also earned her pilot's licence.
- In 2013, she won the CBI and Real Business First Women Award in Tourism & Leisure. This was for being the first female head of engineering at a major international airport.
- Staffordshire University gave her an honorary Doctorate of Science in 2014. This was to recognise her important work in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. It also celebrated her efforts to encourage young people to study STEM subjects.
Her work to promote STEM subjects to children and young adults was recognised again in 2015. She won the Institution of Mechanical Engineers's Alistair Graham-Bryce Award. This award was for her "significant contributions to campaigning for the promotion of engineering to children, students, young adults and particularly women."
In 2016, she was named one of the top 50 most influential women engineers in the UK. This recognition came from The Daily Telegraph and the Women's Engineering Society.
Dame Dawn has been a Trustee of World Skills UK since 2015. She became Deputy Chair in 2022. She was also the President of the Women's Engineering Society from 2018 until October 2023.
In September 2020, she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. This was because of her important contributions to engineering. She also became a Trustee of the academy in September 2023.
In the 2023 New Year Honours, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This special honour was given for her services to engineering.
