About Us

Leslie Falkingham is the founder and Managing Director of Vacuum Interrupters Ltd.

Born in Leeds, England in 1955, Leslie is married and currently operates from Rugby, England.

He was made a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in 1987, and a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now IET) in 1988. He is a Chartered Engineer in the UK (C.Eng) and is also a European Engineer (Eur.Ing). He was made a Fellow of the IEEE in 2007 for his contribution to Vacuum Interrupter technology, and a Life Fellow of the IEEE in 2024.

He graduated from Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry , England , in 1978 with BSc (Hons) in Combined Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and obtained his PhD from Cranfield University (UK).

He was a Visiting Fellow of Cranfield University for a number of years and an Adjunct Professor teaching part-time at Xi’an Jaiotong University XI’an China. He is also presently a Visiting Professor at Aston University (UK), Department of Design.

He is a long term member of Secretary of the Permanent International Scientific Committee of the International Symposium for Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum (ISDEIV) (previously held the posts of Secretary and Chairman) which is the premier international conference in vacuum switching technology. He is Chairman of the Inner Circle -Vacuum of the Current Zero Club, which is an international group of world leading Scientists and Engineers with an interest in electrical switching phenomena. He is also an individual member of CIGRE and was secretary of CIGRE WG A3-27.

His employment experience includes an initial period of ten years at Vacuum Interrupters Limited, London , England which he joined as a graduate apprentice in 1978 after which he performed R&D, and designed and developed vacuum interrupters finally becoming Engineering Manager.  After a break working in California this was followed by two years with GEC South Africa where he was responsible for designing and building a new factory near Johannesburg to manufacture the vacuum interrupters he had designed. During the following ten years as Technical Director with GEC Alsthom, Rugby he created and then led the ALSTOM World Centre of Excellence for Vacuum Switching Technology, and in addition was heavily involved with the ALSTOM vacuum interrupter plant in Calcutta , India . From 2001 to 2005 he was appointed Group Technology Director firstly for ALSTOM T&D Medium Voltage Business and then for Areva T&D Products, both positions were based in the group head office, Paris , France. In September 2005 he left Areva in order to re-form Vacuum Interrupters Limited (VIL) in Rugby, England, where he is presently Managing Director.

He has spent most of his working life involved in the research, design, development, and manufacture of vacuum interrupters and switches for high voltage vacuum switchgear. He holds a number of patents and is an acknowledged expert internationally in this field. During his career he has produced a large number of technical papers and presented numerous lectures on the technology world-wide.

In addition, over the past ten years as a result of his PhD studies and his past role within Alstom/Areva, he has become a specialist in Technology Strategy and the optimisation of R&D. As a result he has lectured on this at Cranfield University , published a number of papers, was Chairman of the Awards Committee for R&D Management Magazine for 2002, and has also played a key role in the development of technology strategy at Alstom/Areva T&D where he developed a new technique based on DELPHI process to use the company’s holistic knowledge of technology and markets as part of the strategy development and technology management process.

For many years he has also been active in standards development for HV switchgear within IEC, ANSI/IEEE and British Standards (BSI) and is currently involved with the writing of the next generation of standards as a member of various maintenance teams in IEC and the IEEE Switchgear committee. Within BSI since 2024 he holds the position of Chairman of the PEL/17 committee covering standards on electrical switchgear.

His special fields of interest include: All aspects of vacuum interrupter technology and manufacture, as well as switchgear design & manufacture; Standards development; R&D Management & Technology Strategy and in particular the optimisation of Industrial R&D.

Awards

Professor Falkingham has received a number of awards during his career a selection of which are listed below:

1996     Nelson Gold Medal                                            General Electric company of England

(Awarded for Outstanding technical innovation)

2002    J.J. Thomson Medal                                           IEE (now IEC)

(For distinguished contribution to electrical engineering)

2011      IEC 1906 Award                                                   IEC

(For significant contribution to the development of international standards for electrical switchgear)

2012     International Working Group Chair Award IEEE Standards Association

2018     IEEE SA International Award                           IEEE Standards Association

2022     Distinguished Member                                     CIGRE

2025     IEEE SA Lifetime Achievement Award           IEEE Standards Association