UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
HONORARY CONFERRING
Monday, 29 August 2011 at 10.30 a.m.
TEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR GERRY BYRNE, UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, University College Dublin on 29 August 2011, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa on BRIAN SWEENEY
President, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen
Brian Sweeney is an extraordinary Irish engineer, businessman and industrialist – an engineer who has shaped the future of industry, business and educational research in Ireland. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome Brian and his family and guests to University College Dublin where today he will be conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.
Since his very early days, Brian knew that his career would be in the field of mechanical/electrical engineering. His career direction and achievements were strongly influenced by his parents, his mother being the principal of the local national school and his father a local businessman. His mother’s father was a personal assistant to the original Henry Ford giving the family a very special relationship with the early years of industrialisation in Ireland, with the Ford Motor company and with the Ford plant in Cork.
As the fourth child in a family of nine, Brian grew up in Cappoquin, County Waterford. One of his early influencers was the local Blacksmith and his sons who introduced Brian to red hot metal, hammers, anvils, pick-axes being forged hardened and tempered, bicycles being manufactured, horses being hoofed. Adding to the fascination he developed during those early years, Brian was also greatly influenced by his teachers at Rockwell College – in particular his physics teacher.
The young Brian Sweeney had a choice: go west from Cappoquin to UCC (which by the way was nearer to Cappoquin) or go north to UCD – he followed the northern star and his passion for mechanical engineering and arrived into the hearth of Dublin, to UCD Merrion Street to study Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in the early 1950’s. He encountered the personalities of our academic predecessors, colleagues such as M.A. Hogan, Pierce Purcell and Stephen O’Brien. These academic colleagues oversaw a strongly theoretical course laced with complimentary practical laboratory and project work.
And so Brian Sweeney graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Mechanical and Electrical) and later in his career with a first class honours MBA also from UCD for which he was awarded the outstanding Alumnus Medal. On the 2nd January 1957 like many of his compatriots, Brian Sweeney left the shores of Ireland and in his case made his way to Germany on a Graduate Engineering Training Scheme with SIEMENS. He was subsequently employed as a Site Engineer for a number of power stations being built by Siemens in Ireland. He quickly climbed the ranks of SIEMENS Ireland taking senior responsibility for major projects such as Irish Steel in Cork. Here he led the introduction to Ireland of new highly sophisticated industrial automation technology. In those years he built up an excellent technical base in engineering thus providing him with a rock solid platform for his future industrial and business development activities.
Having gained experience in different divisions of Siemens he was appointed Managing Director of SIEMENS Ireland in the mid-1970s. He worked relentlessly to build his company into one of Ireland’s premier companies. He constantly innovated and brought in new business and very importantly as we realise today more than ever, new jobs to Ireland. For example, he secured new business areas in the fields of software and also in healthcare – areas which still thrive today. During his time as MD and later on as Chairman of SIEMENS Ireland he led the development into a company of over 1000 people - 1000 jobs in Ireland. In the course of this development Brian Sweeney always placed a strong focus on young professionals, young engineers and he opened up opportunities for the placement of engineers within SIEMENS companies across Europe.
Parallel to his outstanding achievements in the development of SIEMENS Ireland, Brian Sweeney invested a considerable amount of his time and energy into voluntary activities supporting the Irish national engineering, education, research and business fields where he has also had a highly significant impact.
Let me give you one example here. Brian Sweeney chaired the Irish Technology Foresight Study in 1999 and reported to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at that time. This report set out the path to be followed in enhancing Ireland’s commitment to Basic Research in the broadly defined fields of Biotechnology and ICT. Mr. Sweeney subsequently presented to the full meeting of the Cabinet of the Irish government which culminated in the setting up of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI. He was the first Chairman of SFI and under his leadership it grew into one of the most significant developments in research in the history of Ireland. Brian Sweeney thus made a unique and extremely important contribution to advancing top level international research in our country.
This is but one example of the outstanding leadership which he has provided to Irish society and there are many, very many more.
He was the founding Chairman of The Irish Health Services Accreditation Board.
He was the founding Chairman of The German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce and was subsequently elected President. He is an honorary life member of that body.
He has served on the Board of Management of the Council of the RDS and was Chairman of the RDS Industry Committee.
He is currently a Member of the Health Research Board and of the Board of Trinity College Institute of Neurology.
Brian Sweeney led the profession of engineering in Ireland as President of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering. Closer to home, here in UCD he was President of The Engineering Graduates Association of UCD and he also found time in his busy schedule to lecture to Final Year Engineering students on marketing.
Brian Sweeney is the recipient of very many awards throughout his career – too many to list here. He was conferred with an Honorary M.A.I. from Trinity College Dublin. He was decorated on two separate occasions by the President of the German Federal Republic for his work in encouraging bilateral business and cultural relations: the “Cross of Merit First Class” and the “Great Officers Cross with Ribbon”.
Brian Sweeney is no ordinary engineer, Brian Sweeney is no ordinary businessman. He is a passionate man, he is an inspirational engineer and industrialist who puts genuine value on knowledge creation - on education, on research.
Brian Sweeney’s place at the pinnacle of Irish Engineering and Business is secure.
His career path and his current standing in the professional engineering and business communities will serve as an inspiration to those of you sitting here before me – here today - graduating engineers but soon our future innovators and leaders.
Today, in full acknowledgement of his outstanding contribution during the course of a career spanning in excess of 50 years, Brian Sweeney returns to his alma mater to receive the highest award which UCD can offer.
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Praehonorabilis Praeses, totaque Universitas,
Praesento vobis hunc meum filium, quem scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneum esse qui admittatur, honoris causa, ad gradum Doctoratus Scientiae; idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.