Jim Stewart
Lifetime Achievement Award
Who is he?
James Mackie Stewart was born in Hamilton, Scotland in October 1923. He received an apprenticeship at Ailsa Shipbuilding in Troon before going on to receive a mechanical engineering degree with honours from the University of Strathclyde.
What makes him special?
His career in the desalting industry began in 1946 when he took a
job at G&J Weir in Glasgow where he investigated scale formation
in seawater evaporators. This was the first major study of its kind
and led to improved evaporator performance and the possibility
of building larger, more efficient units. While at Weir, he also
designed and commissioned some of the first commercial seawater
distillers, and was eventually promoted to General Manager and
Technical Director.
In 1970, he joined Aqua-Chem in Wisconsin as design and
applications manager, where he oversaw the design of large MSF
plants in Jeddah and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and in Hong Kong.
He became general managing director of KAE - the Curaçao,
Netherlands Antilles utility - in 1975 before joining Mechanical
Equipment Company (MECO) as vice president of engineering in
1982. He semi-retired to Ayr, Scotland in 1992 but remains a parttime
consultant to MECO and continues to follow the industry and
attend IDA conferences.
Jim has witnessed the evolution of the desalination industry,
starting with its beginnings in the 1940s to its present position,
making contributions to its development along the way, including
that of IDA director. He has experienced both sides of the industry,
from design and contracting to that of end user.
He has been involved in the desalination industry for 60 years and
is truly a desalting pioneer.