ICL Fellows facts for kids

The ICL Fellows scheme was a special program that celebrated the very best achievements in computing at a British company called International Computers Limited.

People became ICL Fellows because they were super skilled and recognized by their colleagues. Their job was to lead technical projects across the company and represent it to the outside world. They also gave important technical advice to the company's top leaders.

History of the ICL Fellowship Program

How the Program Started

In 1984, Robb Wilmot, who was the boss of ICL at the time, chose Professor Brian Warboys as an "ICL Fellow." Professor Warboys was the main designer of ICL's VME mainframe computer system. Later, he became a professor at the University of Manchester. His role as a Fellow was to share good ways of doing engineering work throughout the company.

The ICL Fellows program officially began in 1990. Sir Peter Bonfield, who was the Chairman and CEO of ICL then, started it. Five more technical experts were chosen to be Fellows. At this point, Professor Brian Warboys became the Senior ICL Fellow, meaning he was the most experienced one. More Fellows were added throughout the 1990s.

Building an Engineering Network

In 1993, the ICL Fellows created the ICL Distinguished Engineer Scheme. This program aimed to build a strong network of engineers across the company. This network would stay strong even if the company changed its structure. They also started an annual engineering conference, which was a big meeting for engineers every year. This conference ran until 2001.

Becoming the Fujitsu Fellowship

In the early 2000s, ICL was bought by and renamed Fujitsu. After this, the ICL Fellowship program didn't get as much support. However, in 2013, the program was brought back! It was relaunched as the Fujitsu Fellowship. It had the same goal: to recognize and celebrate amazing technical achievements. Three former ICL Fellows – Nig Greenaway, Nic Holt, and Jeff Parker – became the first Fujitsu Fellows. The new program also includes recognizing and helping "Distinguished Engineers," and the yearly engineering conference returned.

Important ICL Fellows

Some of the well-known ICL Fellows include:

• Professor Brian Warboys (appointed in 1984)
• Michael Kay (appointed in 1990)
• Professor Steve Molyneux (appointed in 1996) – He was the first Fellow who didn't actually work for ICL.
• Ron Brunt (appointed in 1999) – He was the first ICL Fellow chosen in the United States.