Dr P Murrell FICME receives prestigious John Campbell Award

Liveryman and Industry Committee Chair, Dr Pam Murrell was recently honoured with the John Campbell Award from the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers, ICME.

Until the end of 2025, Pam was the Chief Executive of the Cast Metals Federation, the trade association for the UK castings and foundry industry, which has over 150 companies in membership.  During her time as CEO, she worked to support and represent the UK metal casting industry, building connections between the members and technical research institutes and universities and proactively supporting industry training.  She also restarted, alongside others from the industry, a technical conference for the UK industry, CASTcon which is now held every two years at Cranfield University, as well as bringing the ‘Foundry in a Box’ concept to the UK for foundries to use in their school’s engagement and apprentice recruitment. 

The award is named for fellow Liveryman Prof John Campbell OBE Hon FICME who was appointed Chair of Casting Technology in 1998 at the University of Birmingham and is now Professor Emeritus.  As many will know, he is still consulting as an established international expert on casting technology and is the author of several books on the subject.

In nominating Pam, Prof Campbell said, “Dr Murrell has made a huge difference to our industry.  The CEO of Cast Metals Federation might alone have been sufficient reason for nomination, but the additional role of CEO of ICME has been an astonishing and unprecedented national role which Dr Murrell has taken on with grace and panache.  Her personable leadership and unsparing efforts for the industry have been an inspiration, promoting the image of cast metals as an attractive as well as important strategic industry.  It is appropriate to recognise a contribution to the industry which has been not only outstanding but unique.”

The medal was presented at an awards lunch hosted by ICME at the British Motor Museum Gaydon during June.  Prior to the awards dinner Pam was also elected Junior Vice President of ICME at the AGM, the first woman to have this role in the institute’s history.

The medal was manufactured for ICME in Birmingham by historic jewellers Toye, Kenning & Spencer with the design also being very apt.  John was able to input into the design, and it features the words, ‘Good physics, good engineering and good metal’ – all vital to produce good quality engineered castings.

Pam says, “It’s a huge honour to be the recipient of this prestigious award – just looking at the list of previous winners, which includes Prof Dame Helen Atkinson DBE FREng as well as Liveryman Prof Nick Green and Liveryman Prof Mark Jolly, is extremely humbling.

“At first, I was not really sure that I was an appropriate recipient, the award being mainly about technological development and research.  But I like to think that through enabling visits to research institutes and universities, as well as engaging with projects like the Transforming Foundation Industries work, and the TransFIRe project (led by Prof Mark Jolly), or with UK Metal Council and the UK Metals Expo, there is now bit more awareness of casting as a route to manufacture, the innovative and varied products that the industry produces for all sectors of modern life, and the role of foundries in the circular economy for metals.  The Back British Metals Initiative, which I supported the founding of, is another area in which our industry has an important role to play, being right in the thick of some of the issues around energy, UK competitiveness and sustainability.

She continued, “None of this can be done alone of course, and collaboration and teamwork are vital so whilst I am proud and grateful for this award from ICME, I dedicate it to all the people I have worked with over the years, some of whom are no longer with us, and to all those who continue to support the UK castings industry.  I would like to thank the Institute and to congratulate all this years’ other awards winners.”