Dr Carol Marsh OBE, Engineering Director of Scottish satellite communications firm Celestia has had her long-standing legacy of accomplishments and leadership in the electronics industry recognised by being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Electronics WeeklyWomen Leaders in Electronics Awards. She was also presented with the Mentor of the Year Award at the award ceremony in London.
Dr Marsh’s 40 year career across the aerospace, telecoms and space industries was acknowledged by the awards which celebrate the achievements of women engineers in the electronics field, focusing on technical excellence, innovation and contributions to the industry.
Dr Marsh has made a profound and sustained contribution to engineering through technical leadership and innovation alongside outstanding service to the profession through extensive volunteering and mentoring. Her commitment to supporting underrepresented and disadvantaged communities to find pathways into engineering careers earned her an OBE for services to diversity and inclusion in 2020.
“It’s genuinely fantastic to join so many talented women both shortlisted and winning and to be honoured with not one but two awards for a life-long career spent in an industry I love,” says Dr Marsh. “When I started my career, for many years I was often the only woman in the room, so to see so many women being successful and achieving amazing things in engineering today, and be recognised for them, is just excellent.
“My career has taken me from being one of the first adopters of programmable logic to leading a team at Celestia who have developed the world’s first Ka-Band electronically steered phased array antenna gateway which communicates with low earth orbit satellites, a ground-breaking step forwards for the satellite communications industry.
“Born, raised and living in Edinburgh all my life, my academic and professional life has revolved around the city, from Stenhouse Primary and Tynecastle High Schools to Napier College, now Edinburgh Napier University, where I passed the HND in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with distinction. Many years later I returned as a Visiting Professor and now I’m an Honorary Doctor of the University.
“It really means a great deal to me to win these awards, and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported and had faith in me,” she says.
Dr. Malachy Devlin, CEO of Celestia UK says: “I have had the privilege of knowing, and now working alongside, Carol for over two decades. Throughout that time, I have seen her combine deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to deliver lasting impact across every organisation she has served.
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“Carol does not simply lead programmes — she builds capability, strengthens governance and creates environments where engineering excellence and people development go hand in hand. Whether driving breakthrough innovation in satellite communications or shaping national engineering strategy, she leads with clarity, integrity and purpose.”
“Her influence extends well beyond Celestia. She is a visible role model across the UK electronics sector, inspiring confidence in the next generation of engineers while setting the standard for modern, inclusive engineering leadership.”
Full details of the awards are at https://wiea.electronicsweekly.com/live/en/page/2026-winners.
