One of the UK’s driving forces in autonomous vehicles has been named in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2025. David Keene, the founder of
Aurrigo International plc, has been awarded an MBE for his services to the ‘decarbonisation of airports’, marking over 40 years’ experience working in the automotive sector and developing driverless technology and intelligent mobility in aviation.
The Warwickshire-based entrepreneur was recognised for the way he has pioneered one of the most significant innovations for the future of aviation with the launch of Auto-DollyTug — an autonomous vehicle that is currently moving luggage and cargo around at six airports across the world. Designed, developed and built at the firm’s Advanced Engineering Centre in Coventry, the electric powered tugs are promising to cut emissions, increase operational performance and, most importantly, improve passenger experience.
The MBE comes just a few weeks after Aurrigo International secured its largest agreement to date, entering into a strategic partnership with Swissport to launch at Zurich Airport and then explore future implementation at other locations across the world.
Professor David Keene MBE, said: “When you’ve been in business for four decades, nothing tends to surprise you — until this! Aurrigo has come a long way since I started the business in my spare room in 1993. While automotive components (mainly wiring looms and electronics) are still a major part of the business, it is our ‘first to market’ work in autonomous aviation vehicles that is catching the media headlines.”
Massive honourHe continued: “It is such a massive honour to be recognised by HRH King Charles, but the MBE is really for all the team that have played such a key role in our growth and success to date. They have believed in the dream, and it is their skills, expertise and technical knowledge that has transported us to the front of the autonomous conversation.”
Mr Keene, who coined the intelligent Ground Support Equipment (iGSE) phrase that is sweeping aviation, is a passionate ambassador for UK manufacturing and in encouraging more young people into engineering. Academia is important to him, and he has forged strong relationships with Aston, Warwick, and Coventry Universities, giving students/researchers the opportunity to explore new R&D and embed lessons from working with his company’s advanced vehicles and technology into their learning.
His selfless passion for mobility has also seen him commit over 100 hours of voluntary service to the UK Automotive Council, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, local Universities and Galgotias University in India, where he lectures international students on automated vehicles and technology. These roles, which he has done for more than a decade, provide the small company viewpoint on the development of technologies, business support, funding, and industry regulation.
Mr Keene concluded: “We are building something really exciting in the UK that positions us as a real driving force in the world of autonomous vehicles for aviation. As we grow through Auto-DollyTug®, Auto-Sim® (simulation software for replicating airport activity) and Auto-Cargo® (our largest vehicle yet), we are going to need more people with the right skills and talent to take us to the next level. That is why it is important that we are vocal about the careers available in manufacturing and technology, showcasing the global opportunities they deliver.”