John Lazar announced as RAEng Presidential candidate

Upon election by the Fellowship, Dr Lazar would serve a term of five years as President, succeeding Professor Sir Jim McDonald GBE FREng FRSE. 

Lazar is a software engineer and business leader focused on combining technology and entrepreneurship to generate lasting positive impact. He is Chair of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which aims to help young people realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies.

In a statement, Lazar said: “I am thrilled and humbled to be considered for such an important role, and strongly endorse the key goals of the Academy’s mission. In particular, it is vital that we support young people from all backgrounds to gain access to the engineering and computing skills and training that will enable them to thrive, and help solve the huge challenges facing us.” 

Lazar’s numerous career highlights include being the co-founder, general partner, and a limited partner at Enza Capital, which backs founders and teams using technology to solve large and meaningful problems across Africa. He also sits on the boards of multiple African technology companies and previously served as the Chair of What3words. Lazar was awarded a CBE for services to engineering in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2016.