Peter William Bonfield

Peter William Bonfield is a British engineer who is Vice Chancellor of the University of Westminster, UK. A materials engineer, he was President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in 2019-2020.

Early life Bonfield received a master's degree in polymer science from Loughborough University, in 1985. He completed his PhD in wind energy.

Career Prior to joining the University of Westminster, Bonfield was CEO of BRE Group, UK. He joined BRE as a research scientist in 1992.

He served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 2012-2018 of the BRE Group.

in June 2017, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced the formation of a separate, independent Expert Advisory Panel to advise the government on immediate building safety measures in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire on February 14 2017. The panel included Dr. Peter Bonfield, who served as the Chief Executive of the Building Research Establishment (BRE). Dr. Bonfield's inclusion—alongside other panel members—drew scrutiny and criticism from community groups such as the Grenfell Action Group.

Critics highlighted that BRE had previously provided paid fire safety and research advice to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), raising questions regarding institutional independence given BRE's long-standing historical role advising on building regulations and material testing standards.

Evidence presented to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry revealed structural weaknesses, managerial shortcomings, and oversight failures at the Building Research Establishment (BRE)—the UK's primary independent testing and certification body for construction products.

Details regarding management practices and institutional oversight at the BRE include:

Internal Auditing Lags and Resource Deficits: Surveillance and review reports by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)—the government body providing inspection and accreditation—revealed that internal auditing at the BRE had repeatedly "fallen significantly behind" due to internal resource constraints. Delayed and Ineffective Corrective Actions: UKAS audits stretching back years before the 2017 fire uncovered "areas of weakness" that failed to align with international standards. Reviewers found that when internal audits did flag problems, follow-up actions and corrections were "generally too slow" and often ineffective or unimplemented across necessary business divisions. Deficits in Management Control: A 2012 UKAS surveillance report highlighted "serious concern" regarding specific facets of management control at the organization. Findings indicated that in multiple testing centers, required witness test audits had either not been conducted over preceding periods or had been planned without the awareness or involvement of the designated quality manager. Inconsistent Procedures and Documentation: The inquiry scrutinized operational standardization, revealing instances where laboratories lacked formalized standard operating procedures for core testing processes. Evidence pointed to reliance on ad-hoc, personalized checklists rather than uniform enterprise-wide protocols for critical fire resistance testing equipment, data transfer, and report generation. Failures Linked to Commercialized Testing Environments: Formerly a government-owned national laboratory privatized in 1997, the BRE operated within a competitive, commercialized framework where manufacturers paid for safety testing and classifications. Special assessments later scrutinized how severe test failures—such as a 2007 test on an insulation product that caused a severe, runaway reaction on a test rig—did not prompt immediate, public transparency or sweeping market warnings, highlighting systemic vulnerabilities in how commercial testing regimes governed life-safety products.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report of the Public Inquiry into the Fire at Grenfell Tower on June 14 2017 concluded the following: "2.15 BRE held a trusted position within the construction industry and was recognised both nationally and internationally as a leader in fire safety. However, from 1991 much of the work it carried out in relation to testing the fire safety of external walls was marred by unprofessional conduct, inadequate practices, a lack of effective oversight, poor reporting and a lack of scientific rigour.” Additionally, “2.18 The unprofessional behaviour of some of BRE’s staff was in part the result of a failure to provide them with adequate training in their responsibilities.”

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, Bonfield faced scrutiny over his previous leadership as the chief executive of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), with critics and industry figures discussing the adequacy of historical building testing standards and expert panel appointments.

Earlier on, he was a research officer at the University of Bath, UK.

In August 2026, it was announced that he would become CEO of British Cycling from November.

Award Bonfield has received a number of awards. He received an honorary doctor of engineering from the University of Bath and Hertfordshire University. He also received an honorary doctor of science from Loughborough University and Napier University. He received an OBE from the Queen for services to research and innovation in 2012. In the same year, he was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK.