The CEO of Oxley Developments is set to speak at an annual event.

Darren Cavan will speak at the Barrow and District Association of Engineers (BDAE) event at Barrow Town Hall after presenting this year’s student bursary awards.

The free event, open to all, will take place on Thursday, November 21 at 7.15pm.

Mr Cavan will talk about his journey from being born and raised on Walney to becoming CEO.

He will also discuss Oxley's technical work in electronics, night vision, and LED lighting for worldwide aerospace and defence platforms.

Mr Cavan joined Oxley in 1994 after completing a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at VSEL (now BAE Systems).

He holds a first-class honours degree in mechanical and computer-aided engineering.

An expert in LED lighting for aerospace applications and night vision upgrades, he was appointed Oxley technical director in May 2009

In 2017, he became head of the lighting and systems division, and in 2018, he was appointed Oxley Group CEO.

In 2019, Mr Cavan was named one of the industry’s ‘Top 100’ by The Manufacturer in the category of inspiring leader.

The lecture will be preceded by a summary of the BDAE bursary awards program and awards recognising successful technical apprentices, sixth-form students and Furness College students for their accomplishments in engineering-related studies.

There will also be a special award to the winners of the "Engineering Design Engineering Technology Competition" that recognises the delivery of engineering design and associated practical skills within secondary schools.

This year, the value of the awards made to local students will total more than £7,000.

You can learn more at www.bdae.org.uk.