Denis Rooke

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Sir Denis Eric Rooke, OM, CBE, FRS, FREng (born 2 April 1924) is a British industrialist and engineer.

He was educated at Westminster City School, Addey and Stanhope School, and at University College London, from which he graduated in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering. He served 1944 with REME in India and Britain, promoted to Major.

From 1949 he worked in the gas industry, first as an engineer, rising in 1976 to become Chairman of British Gas. In 1986 he oversaw the privatisation of the company, retiring in 1989. He was President of The Royal Academy of Engineering from 1986 to 1991, having been elected to the Academy in 1977. He was awarded a CBE in 1970 and knighted in 1977 for his service to the gas industry. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1978. In 1997 he was appointed to the Order of Merit. He was Chancellor of Loughborough University from 1989 to 2003.

He has served on many national advisory committees on both energy policy and education. He has been Chairman of the Trustees of the Science Museum, Chairman of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (now the National Media Museum) in Bradford and Chairman of the Management Committee of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.He is a Trustee of the National Gas Museum Trust.

Preceded by Sir Arnold Hall

Chancellor of Loughborough University 1989–2003

Succeeded by Sir John Jennings