Chris McDonald (MPI)


Chris McDonald is an English chemical engineer and business executive with extensive experience in setting industrial policy.
Since 2014, McDonald has been CEO of the Materials Processing Institute, after leading its divestment from Tata Steel.
McDonald has held the following positions:
Born in County Durham in North East England, McDonald held an at British Steel, before going on to read Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Upon graduating, he worked in various roles in the steel industry, but focused on research.
McDonald ran a research division within Tata Steel, directing operations in the Netherlands and across two sites in the UK.
Over the course of his career, Chris has worked closely with policymakers, officials and multinational companies, to support the development of industrial policy. He has also written many papers on the steel industry.

Recent achievements

McDonald has appeared on BBC Radio 4 Today.
As CEO of the Materials Processing Institute, McDonald helped secure a £3m investment from the Tees Valley Growth Deal to build the Institute's SME Technology Centre.He has also oversaw the development of a Doctoral Academy at the Institute's campus and has developed the commercial offering of the Institute to reach international businesses.
In 2016, Chris launched the Materials Processing Institute's commercial steel-making operation from its facility on Teesside.