ICE President

The role of the ICE president

Each year in November, a new ICE president begins their 12-month role.

Their role is to represent the civil engineering profession and the institution at the highest levels of government, business, and society.

They are considered an authoritative voice of the profession.

The president chairs the ICE Trustee Board and the Council, and has certain duties under the by-laws.

• Further detail on the president's responsibilities and duties are set out in the president's terms of reference.
• The president's calendar, including past and upcoming events, can be accessed online by ICE members.

Current ICE president

Julie Wood is the ICE president for the 2026-27 term.

She is the institution's 162^nd president.

Julie took up the position of President of the ICE in November 2026. A civil and structural engineer, she has over 25 years' experience designing and leading major, complex projects across transport, commercial, healthcare, science and energy. Having started her career as an apprentice technician, Julie is now one of 13 Global Fellows at Mott MacDonald.

At Arup, where she became an Executive Director, Julie led the structural engineering of the Foster + Partners-designed McLaren Technology Centre. She went on to direct the Francis Crick Institute and lead the design team for HS2 Euston Station. On the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade West of Leeds, she was Deputy Programme Director for Projects and Engineering, and Project Director for a £400m project within the programme, delivering engineered solutions while rail services kept running.

Her career has encompassed engineering, project and programme leadership. She has a particular focus on bringing together technical, commercial and delivery perspectives to tackle complex infrastructure challenges.

Julie joined Mott MacDonald in January 2024 and led technical and design delivery on the New Hospital Programme. She brought standardised design and modern methods of construction to a national programme. In 2026, she was appointed to lead the Infrastructure Systems Review for the Infrastructure Client Group, the National Infrastructure Systems Transformation Authority (NISTA) and the Green Construction Board. She is accountable for developing, driving and delivering its insights and recommendations. Her focus is on bringing outcomes to the fore, using systems thinking to improve how infrastructure is considered, planned, designed and delivered.

Julie's own route into the profession shapes her commitment to social mobility. She wants people to be able to enter, progress and succeed in engineering throughout their careers, whatever their starting point.

Julie has served on ICE Council and the Trustee Board since 2020. She has chaired the Membership Committee and the Finance, Risk and Assurance Committee, and co-chaired the Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board. Her board experience also includes the University of Portsmouth, Benenden Hospital Trust and the University of Greenwich, and she was a member of the Mayor of London's Infrastructure Advisory Panel.

Julie was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2020 and was recognised as one of the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2021.

Outside engineering, Julie is a landscape and seascape photographer, specialising in long-exposure photography.

ICE past presidents

Before the standard length of term was established, Thomas Telford, the institution's first president, served the longest term of 14 years.

List of ICE past presidents