ICE Presidential Address 2020

Rachel Skinner

Rachel Skinner is an executive director at WSP, sitting on the UK Board to lead Corporate Responsibility (ESG) and Government Relations. Prior to her current role, she led WSP’s 600-strong UK transport planning and advisory team for several years. In 2020-21, Rachel served as the 156th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and she is a Patron of Women in Transport (a not-for-profit), having been one of its founding board members since 2005.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a chartered engineer and a chartered transport planner. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leeds for services to transport, engineering and industry diversity and is an honorary fellow of the Society for the Environment.

Rachel was awarded a CBE for services to infrastructure in the 2022 New Year Honours list.

At present, Rachel chairs the Infrastructure Carbon workstream of the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG), the ICE’s Decarbonisation Advisory Board and the UK Department for Transport Taskforce that is focused on employment and skills. She also served two years as an Infrastructure Commissioner for Scotland from late 2018. In 2016, Rachel was listed as one of The Telegraph’s inaugural UK Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering; in 2017 she was named the Most Distinguished Winner and Best Woman Civil Engineer at the Women in Civil Engineering Awards, and in 2019 she was confirmed by the Financial Times as one of the UK’s Top 100 Women in Engineering.

Rachel has authored, scripted and hosted publications and films on topics including “Shaping Zero” about climate action for infrastructure, “Making Better Places” on place-making and future mobility, and before that about digital technology and its potential for infrastructure, industry innovation and collaboration. She is regularly invited to give keynote conference presentations and to chair international and national industry events.