Spotlight on Fellow: Dave Tomkin
For this instalment of our regular feature on the valuable and interesting work carried out by IGEM’s many Chartered Engineers, the spotlight falls on Dave Tomkin, a Fellow of the institution and the 2018 winner of our EngTech of the Year award and IGEM's 2024 President.
Dave works for DNV, who are an independent expert in risk management and assurance as a Principal Consultant having spent his entire career in the gas industry.
We spoke to Dave about the work he does, how he got there and how his relationship with IGEM has helped him:
“At 18 I started an engineering apprenticeship with what was back then, Transco, and, looking back, I can see how fortunate I was to be given the opportunity to receive world class training and to view the industry as a whole. This left a lasting impression on me and throughout my career I have always sought to know more and to understand the reason things happen. During the apprenticeship, I was also told about IGEM and I saw membership as something to aspire to, so as soon as I able to, I joined.
“At the early stage in my career as a Field Engineer my main interaction with IGEM was through using the standards they published and reading the monthly Gi magazine, which I found to be a fascinating insight into all the interesting work going on across the gas industry.
“I was then offered the opportunity with NGN to work as an Operations Engineer in the 24/7 gas control room (System Control), where I was responsible for the monitoring and operation of the entire gas network, from national transmission system (NTS) offtakes right down to the low pressure network. This included, amongst other things, forecasting the gas demand and ensuring the correct supply/demand balance was met, responding to any alarms on the system, ensuring the correct gas quality was maintained and that the correct level of odorant was being injected into the gas.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this new challenge and it was here that I learned about other aspects of the industry and how it all fits together.
“I then moved on to Gas Safe Register, working as a Technical Officer on the technical helpline, later progressing to become the Technical Support Manager. It was here that I was trained to be a qualified gas incident investigator, investigating numerous tragic CO incidents and giving evidence at inquests. It was in these roles that my two-way relationship with IGEM began to flourish thanks specifically to my manager at the time, David J Smith, who pushed me and gave me the opportunity. I began to sit in on standards and committee meetings and get involved in industry working groups. It was a great place to learn and meet knowledgeable people from across the industry. Most of all, I found out that getting involved with the institution was an incredibly beneficial thing to do and it opened up a world of learning opportunities for me.
“I volunteered to become a member mentor, helping others to gain membership and increase their grade. In 2018, I was honoured to be nominated for and ultimately receive IGEM’s first ever Engineering Technician of the Year award – something I am incredibly humbled by to this day.
“As part of the award, I received an educational grant which was instrumental in helping me to fulfil a long-held ambition to begin a Master of Science degree (MSc) in Gas Engineering, which I hope to complete this year. Without IGEM’s financial help, I had no other form of support to begin this at the time and it simply wouldn’t have happened.
“I joined NGN again back in July 2020, working with an amazing bunch of people as part of the NGN-led H21 hydrogen project – something I never would have dreamed I’d ever be part of.
“The experience I have been fortunate enough to acquire means I’m getting involved in lots of different aspects of the project and working with some truly talented people, not just within NGN but also our project partners and others.
“The role is fascinating and varied – from project managing a number of pieces of work to understand industrial and commercial gas users and the initial hydrogen supply strategy, to providing technical input into the construction of the ‘Hydrogen Homes’ at our Low Thornley site. This sits alongside my ‘normal’ role, in which I have been modelling the network in potential 100 per cent hydrogen trial areas and calculating predicted pressure losses in service pipes when they flow hydrogen. This has involved working closely with my colleague and fellow EngTech Mick Smith to test the modelled flows. I’m also acting as a mentor for one of our fantastic new apprentices.
“My involvement with IGEM continues to grow. I’m a member of IGEM’s Council and I’m part of the EngTech working group that is looking to improve the way IGEM benefits EngTechs and those looking to achieve this grade. I also sit on the GL/8, UP/1, UP/12 panels and have recently contributed to the TD/3 and TD/4 review for hydrogen.
“My advice to all involved in the gas industry is to always seek to learn more, ask questions and don’t allow boundaries to be put on your aspirations. If someone had told me when I was an apprentice that I would standing on site watching a multi-million-pound hydrogen micro-grid being built at DNV’s Spadeadam Research and Development site, or that I would be involved in the construction of brand-new hydrogen homes – I would have laughed at them. What I do know is that IGEM has supported me in one way or another throughout – whether that’s through their standards, with financial support or simply as a place where I can ask questions.”