Hayaatun Sillem became Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering in January 2018, having previously held the post of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Strategy since 2006. As the UK’s national academy for engineering, it brings together the most successful and talented engineers for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering. It is active in policy formation, working with engineering bodies in the UK and abroad to influence public policy and encourage engagement in engineering issues. It leads a broad range of programmes across industry and academia to attract more people to a wider range of engineering careers and to enhance the UK’s innovation performance. The Academy receives funding from government, industry and some charitable foundations.
Hayaatun has extensive leadership experience in UK and international engineering and innovation policy and programmes. She is a trustee of the London Transport Museum and Semta, and a trustee and judge for the St Andrew’s Prize for the Environment.
Hayaatun has a Masters in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in signal transduction from University College London. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.