Laing O'Rourke has appointed Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, to its Board.

Dr Sillem has been named as one of the 'Inspiring 50 Women in Tech' and one of the most influential women in engineering.

She chairs the UK government's Business Innovation Forum and the St. Andrews Prize for the Environment, and co-chaired Sir Lewis Hamilton’s Commission on Black Representation in motorsport.


Sir John Parker GBE FREng, the Chair of Laing O'Rourke, said: "Hayaatun is an outstanding talent with extensive experience in working with Government, and in UK and international engineering.

"Her knowledge and advocacy for the engineering profession, the environment, innovation and inclusion further enriches the range of skills we have established within the refreshed Board membership over the past four years."

Dr Sillem has a Masters in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD from Cancer Research UK/UCL. She is a Fellow of the IET and Honorary Professor at UCL. She was made a CBE for services to International Engineering in 2019.

Prior to her current roles, she was Deputy CEO at the Academy and served as Committee Specialist and later Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee.