Penny Endersby
British researcher and academic
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.
Early Life and Education
Penelope Clare Endersby, known as "Penny," grew up in north London and attended Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls in Elstree. She went on to study Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge as a member of Newnham College, where she developed an interest in materials science and metallurgy. During her studies she was sponsored by British Gas, conducting research into fuel cells. She remains an associate of Newnham College.
Early Career and Research
After graduating, Endersby joined the Royal Armament and Research Development Establishment in 1993, beginning her career as a researcher specializing in armour and explosives. She became recognized as the UK expert on electric and intelligent armours during her tenure there.
In 2009, she was appointed department manager at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down, where she began shifting her focus toward C4ISR and cyber security. She served on the board of Ploughshare Innovations, the Ministry of Defence's technology transfer office. In 2015, she was made division head of the Cyber and Information Systems Division at Dstl.
Academic and Professional Affiliations
Endersby holds visiting professorships at the University of Southampton in computer science and at the University of Exeter in Physics and the Environment. She was among the first engineers to be chartered through the Institute of Physics (IoP) and joined the IoP council in 2017.
Met Office and Meteorological Leadership
Endersby was appointed chief executive of the Met Office in December 2018, becoming the first woman to fill that role. In her capacity as a senior figure in British meteorology, she serves as the UK's permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organisation and sits on its Executive Council. As the UK delegate to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast, she was elected president of that body in 2023, again becoming the first woman to hold the position.
Recognition
In 2021, Endersby was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was awarded the British Computer Society medal for outstanding contribution to green technology. She 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.
Personal Life
Endersby is an accomplished choir singer and a member of the St Peter's Singers. She has also recorded with The Farrant Singers, Chamber Choir, Salisbury. A lay canon, she holds the distinction of being the first Canon Scientist at Exeter Cathedral. She has two children and maintains a strong interest in wildlife, recording UK phenology. She is a trustee of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and serves as chair of the Dartmoor Steering Group.
