Hayaatun Sillem

CEO at Royal Academy of Engineering

Speaker

Dr Hayaatun Sillem is the Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which brings together the UK’s leading engineers and technologists for a shared purpose: to promote engineering excellence for the benefit of society.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Executive, she held the post of Deputy CEO at the Academy. She previously served as Committee Specialist and later Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee.

Hayaatun has extensive leadership experience in UK and international engineering, innovation and diversity & inclusion activities. She is a trustee of the London Transport Museum and EngineeringUK; member of the Made Smarter Commission and chair of its Expert Stakeholder Panel; chair of judges for the St Andrews Prize for the Environment; chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for UKRI’s Circular Economy programme; and member of advisory groups for Lloyd’s Register Foundation and accelerateHER. She has been named as one of the ‘Inspiring Fifty’ women in tech and one of the most influential women in engineering.

Hayaatun has a Masters in Biochemistry (MBiochem) from the University of Oxford and a PhD in signal transduction from Cancer Research UK/University College London. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and an Honorary Professor at UCL’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy. She was made a CBE for services to International Engineering in the 2020 New Year Honours List.