Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter

The guest for the Hatfield Association Reunion Weekend this year (20th - 22nd September 2019) will be Dr Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, who will speak at the formal dinner on Saturday 21st September. Carl is the Chief Executive Officer of Coltraco Ultrasonics, a company which he started with his father Eric Hunter in 1987.

Carl came up to Hatfield College in 1981 to study History and Politics. He made the most of his time at Durham – he rowed in Hatfield’s first VIII and performed in a string of plays both with the Hatfield College Dramatic Society and the University Theatre.

There followed graduation at Sandhurst and a commission in the Royal Greenjackets where he served as an Armoured Platoon Commander, commanded the Greenjackets Mountain Patrol and was ADC to the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong.

Coltraco Ultrasonics has developed pioneering safety measuring technology widely used in shipping, offshore oil and gas, naval, renewables & power sectors. The company's ultrasonic technology focuses on liquid level indication and watertight integrity testing. The company exports 89% of its output to 110 countries and won the Queen’s Award for International Trade this year.

For his many achievements and his enormous support to Durham University’s Physics Department Carl was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by Durham University in 2016 and was confirmed as Professor-in-Practice at Durham Business School lecturing from January 2019 on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and supporting the Business School in building capability with respect to data and decision sciences.

The company leads a unique ”constant” undergraduate internship programme at Durham including term-time, holiday and summer work in R&D and market research as well as other employment opportunities. This gives undergraduate Physics and Engineering students an opportunity to tackle real-life scientific problems, learn about industrial research, project planning and practice their presentation and team-working skills (keenly overseen by Carl!).

Carl is a Commonwealth Business Mentor, a Decision-Making Panel Member of the Bank of England, an Expert Panel Member of the Business Integrity initiative at the Department for International Development, supports the Overseas Leadership Programme at the Foreign Office, has contributed to the Government’s Export Strategy and Maritime Strategy is an Export Champion at the Department of International Trade and a member of the UK-USA SME Dialogue.

Carl is a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Honourable Company of Master Mariners, a Liveryman of the worshipful Company of scientific Instrument Makers, a Council member of the Maritime Defence and Security Council. Carl is the Government Relations spokesman for the British Exporters Association.

He is a member of the SCR of Hatfield and most grateful to the leadership of the Hatfield Association.