Dr Peter Clapham
Born November 3rd 1940; educated at Ashville College, Harrogate. BSc in physics at University College London 1960, PhD in optics 1969, Imperial College.
After receiving his PhD, he pursued research in laser applications and precision engineering at NPL. He was then promoted to Marketing Director of NPL and during this time he doubled NPL's industrial income. Following this work, he moved to Whitehall in Technology Policy, a division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). He returned to NPL as Division Head to improve industrial relevance of work, customer responsiveness and international collaboration. He became Director of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory in 1985 and Director and Chief Executive of NPL in 1990.
During Clapham's five years as Director, he managed NPL through a fundamental process of change in preparing it for private sector operation. This involved introducing substantial efficiency improvements, quality management procedures and commercial disciplines, while maintaining scientific excellence, staff motivation and NPL's reputation for integrity. After leaving NPL in 1995 he became a self-employed consultant in the fields of metrology, standards, testing and conformity assessment.