IIW Past President 2005-2008, IIW Fellow

Chris Smallbone has received worldwide recognition during his career with more than 25 Awards and Honours from various countries and organisations for his outstanding accomplishments, technical and economic impacts which have advanced the science, technology and application of welding. These have been across the full spectrum of activities covering technology innovation, research and development, education, training, qualification and certification, industry advocacy and positive social change. He has been at the forefront of many unique and pioneering major innovations including, as Executive Director, successfully building up two national welding Institutes, the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) 1980-1994 and the Welding Technology Institute of Australia (WTIA) 1995-2014. In parallel, he played major roles with other groups in voluntarily establishing and building up from inception, a number of other not-for-profit organisations to meet particular needs of South African and Australian Industry. All have had major impacts both technically and economically on welding technology, skills development, NDT, pressure equipment and other industries, in South Africa and Australia. Through his extensive voluntary work in the International Institute of Welding (IIW) since 1974, he has used these successes to assist many countries and regions of the world, including Africa, to improve the quality of life of their peoples through the optimum use of welding technology. In 2009, IIW honoured him with its highest IIW award, The Walter Edström Medal, for his “remarkable and distinguished contributions to the IIW and the international community” and in 2019 with the implementation of the IIW Chris Smallbone Award