The Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Design Engineering Graduates: Celebrating early career alumni in the design engineering sector.
The Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Design Engineering Graduates recognises those who have made significant progress in their careers within ten years of graduating from Cranfield. This award recognises those who have the potential to reach the highest levels of success in the future.
Alumni who have won this award will have:
- Demonstrated technological/engineering leadership.
- National visibility.
- Had an early career impact on the sector or industry.
- Demonstrated achievement beyond individual position and company.
- International experience and impact.
- Exhibited role model behaviours and highest standards of business practice.
- Had a relationship with Cranfield since graduation or potential benefit of a future relationship.
Meet the 2024 Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Design Engineering Graduates Winner
Elodie Aubanel (MDes Innovation and Creativity in Industry 2016)
Digital Design Director & Managing Consultant, PA Consulting
Elodie excels in implementing product and service strategies, facilitating complex decision-making, building consensus, and reducing risk through design. Leading teams with diverse design skills, including Research, UX/UI, Service Design, Strategy, and Testing, she ensures her teams have the right environment, tools, methods, and learning opportunities to thrive.
In her current role, Elodie leads teams designing and implementing new experiences across a range of use cases and tech stacks. She has previously served as Senior Experience Designer at the Department for Health & Social Care and Senior Service Designer on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme at NHS Digital, where she led two services within the Customer Experience team, collaborating closely with operational teams at NHS England and product delivery teams at NHS Digital on digital services that facilitated the booking, recording, and reporting of every COVID-19 vaccination in England.
Her corporate project experience includes work for organisations such as IKEA, Unilever, and Abbott Nutrition, and research and academic institutions including the Medical Research Council, Royal Society of Chemistry, and University of York. Elodie is an Ambassador for C4DE at ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ and has proactively given back to the community by serving as an industry speaker across the design programme. She also champions early-stage and growth-stage startups, actively supporting and mentoring early-stage ventures.
Elodie is a design and innovation leader with a proven track record of championing human needs to drive impactful design initiatives and foster innovation within various sectors.
Do you have a favourite quote, motto, or piece of advice for new graduates?
My favourite motto is, “You don’t have to; you just get to.” It’s a reminder that everything is an opportunity, not an obligation—it’s about realising that each moment offers a choice and asking yourself if it’s something you want to do.
What inspired you to pursue the career path you eventually chose?
I’ve always been passionate about innovation, starting with food engineering and evolving into product design. What truly inspired my path was a deep desire to explore and understand people’s needs, wants, and emotions, and then create seamless experiences based on that insight. Design gives me the best of both worlds—science and art—making it a perfect fit for my professional journey.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of staying authentic and true to my beliefs and passions, no matter the challenges that come my way. It isn’t always easy, but keeping that integrity has been worth it every step of the way.
Finally, what does it mean to you to win this award?
Winning this award gives me a moment to pause and reflect on my journey so far. It’s a true honour to be remembered by my mentors and to be recognised for doing something I genuinely love. I feel deeply grateful for this acknowledgement.
Meet the 2023 Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Design Engineering Graduates Winner
Barry Waddilove (MDes Design and Innovation for Sustainability 2014)
Head of Circular Economy and Partnerships, Electrolux Group
Having joined Electrolux Group in 2017, Barry led the company’s North American design team and then joined the global sustainability leadership team in early 2022 to oversee partnerships and collaborations. In his current role as Head of Circular Economy and Partnerships Barry leads new work to develop Electrolux's circular economy approach and priorities, while continuing to be responsible for supporting partnerships.
His dedication and drive to lead new work to develop Electrolux’s circular economy approach and priorities, including circular strategy, KPIs and business models is highly admired. Barry drives impact for the group's sustainability targets whilst also building additional value from the extended use of materials, products and services.
During various roles across global corporates, he has developed a deep knowledge of innovation processes and business model development. Barry has worked for the UK Government as a design innovation advisor and also for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as an academic researcher exploring the role of system thinking in circular design. He is also a Fellow of the RSA.
