Teledyne Defence & Space (TDS), a business unit of Teledyne UK Limited, has received royal approval with HRH The Princess Royal paying a visit. The Princess Royal visited Teledyne Defence & Space (TDS), in Shipley on Friday 21 January to pay recognition to the firm’s impact as a business in West Yorkshire and to present The Queen’s Award for Innovation.
HRH The Princess Royal was greeted by TDS Site Director Daron Winspear alongside local dignitaries Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson; High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Mr. Clive Lloyd and Mrs Virginia Lloyd; Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Shabir Hussain and The Lady Mayoress, Mrs. Azra Bi.
Her Royal Highness was given a tour of the firm by Mr Winspear and Mr John Toner, Vice President of Teledyne Aerospace & Defence Electronics UK (TADE UK), and provided with an insight into the company’s history, local expertise in RF technologies and innovation in space communications.
After the tour, and following a citation reading from Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire Ed Anderson, The Princess Royal presented Mr Winspear with the Queen’s Award trophy in recognition of the development of a flexible, low profile, power efficient payload for satellite communication.
The Queens’ Award for Innovation was originally won by TDS in 2020 but due the challenges of the pandemic, the official presentation has been on hold.
The Princess Royal concluded her time at Teledyne with the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the visit.
“It has been the greatest pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to our manufacturing facility and to explain how, for over 40-years, Teledyne has supported the defence industry with radar, communication and asset protection products”, said Daron Winspear, Site Director at Teledyne Defence & Space. “To then be presented The Queen’s Award for Innovation by The Princess Royal was a special moment for everyone at TDS and is an absolute testament to the hard work of our staff.”
“We are very proud to play a part in Yorkshire’s thriving space sector and to demonstrate our business community as a cornerstone of the region’s economic strength,” said John Toner, Vice President of Teledyne Aerospace & Defence Electronics UK. “To receive recognition from Her Royal Highness has been the greatest honour.”
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queens Award emblem for the next five years. TDS’ most recent award follows on from the success of being awarded with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2019.