| Penny Endersby | |
| Alma Mater: | University of Cambridge |
| Office: | Chief Executive of the Met Office |
| Predecessor: | Rob Varley |
| Children: | 2 |
Penelope Clare Endersby is a British scientist and senior civil servant originally specialising in armour and explosives. She was appointed chief executive of the Met Office in December 2018. Prior to that, she led cyber and information systems at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.
Endersby grew up in north London and was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, Elstree. She studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and was a member of Newnham College.[1] She remains an associate of Newnham.[2] Here she became interested in materials science and metallurgy.[3] She was sponsored by British Gas, researching fuel cells.[4] After graduating she joined the Royal Armament and Research Development Establishment in 1993.
Endersby, a researcher specialising in armour and explosives, served at the Royal Armament and Research Development Establishment, becoming the "UK expert on electric and intelligent armours".[1] She was appointed as the department manager at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in 2009. She began to focus on C4ISR and cyber security. She holds visiting professorships at University of Southampton in computer science and at Exeter University in Physics and the Environment. Endersby was made division head of Cyber and Information Systems Division at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in 2015. She was involved in their International Women's Day celebrations.[5] [6] [7]
She joined the council of the Institute of Physics in 2017.[8] Endersby was appointed as chief executive at the Met Office in December 2018; she is the first woman to fill that role.[9] She served on the board of Ploughshare Innovations, the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) technology transfer office.[10] [11]
In 2021 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering[12] and awarded the British computer society medal for her outstanding contribution to green technology [13]
Endersby was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to meteorology, defence science and technology.
Endersby is the UK’s permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organisation [14] and a member of their Executive Council. As UK delegate to the European Centre for Mid Range Weather forecasting she was elected president (the first female in the role) in 2023 [15]
Endersby is an expert choir singer and a lay canon,[16] the first Canon Scientist at Exeter Cathedral. She has two children. She is interested in wildlife and records UK phenology. She is a trustee of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.[17] She is chair of the Dartmoor Steering Group [18]