Michael John PettiforMike graduated in 1965 with an Honours Degree in Metallurgy from the University of Nottingham and was award a PhD for his work on the physical metallurgy of Niobium Bearing Structural Steels in 1969.

He became Chief Metallurgist, Scunthorpe Works, British Steel in 1983 and Chief Metallurgist, Sections, Plates & Commercial Steels, British Steel in 1993. Subsequently he was appointed a Technology Director of the Group in 1997.

As Chief Metallurgist at British Steel’s Scunthorpe Works, he led the team, which developed and installed granular coal injection on the Four Queens blast furnaces. He was also principally responsible for achieving accreditation of Scunthorpe to BS5750 Quality Assurance standard in 1987, the first integrated site in the world to achieve such accreditation.

Mike chairs the Industry and Technology Policy Board and is also a member of the Institute's Managing Board, he is a Past Chair of the Iron and Steel Society and is active in the Lincolnshire Iron and Steel Institute.