Without a doubt, Sir Denis Rooke was Britain’s most distinguished gas engineer.

Famously combative, he led the development of natural gas supply from the North Sea in the 1960s, becoming Deputy Chairman of British Gas in 1972 and Chairman from 1976 to 1989.

Rooke was an engineer who judged empirically and straightforwardly what worked best for his industry, rejecting ideological alternatives. Unlike many nationalised industry bosses, he was a highly efficient manager, proud that his corporation was capable of generating profits.

In addition, he was passionately committed to education and standards in engineering, serving as IGEM President in 1975 (then IGE). He was appointed CBE in 1970 and knighted in 1977. In 1997, the Queen appointed him to the Order of Merit, a rare distinction for a corporate chief.