Rachel Skinner

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Rachel Susan Skinner FREng FICE (née Bass; born December 1976) is a British civil engineer with Canadian-based consultant WSP Global. Named as one of the Daily Telegraph Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering in 2016 and as the most distinguished winner of 2017 at the European Women in Construction and Engineering Awards, she became the youngest ever president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2020.^[1] In 2019 she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng).^[2]

Early life and education[]

Skinner was born in December 1976 and has a bachelor's degree with first-class honours in geography from Durham University.^[3]She states that she "fell into engineering completely by chance" when she took a job as a transport planner in 1998.^[4][5] She had only intended the job to be a stop-gap for a few months but soon decided to stay.^[5] In 2001 she was awarded a master of science degree in transportation planning and engineering with a distinction by the University of Leeds. In 2019 she returned to Durham to deliver the 'Hatfield College Lecture'.^[6]

Career[]

Skinner has been involved with the Institution of Civil Engineers since 2003 when she became a chartered engineer (CEng), and is now a fellow of the institution (FICE) and sits on its Trustee Board.^[4][7] She chaired the ICE's London region for 2010, stood for Council in 2015 and was confirmed by the ICE council as succeeding vice president in April 2017. "Subject to interim annual election by Council," she is set to become president in November 2020.^[8] She will be the youngest ever person to hold the post of president of the ICE, and the second female president.^[3] Skinner chaired the advisory board of the New Civil Engineer magazine between 2017 and November 2019.^[9] Skinner is a qualified transport planning professional and also a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (MCIHT).^[10]

Skinner has held several senior positions at WSP Global, the consultancy and design firm, including as UK director of transportation planning and European director of marketing and communications for Parsons Brinckerhoff (acquired by WSP in 2014)^[7] and more recently as WSP UK head of development from January 2016 to December 2018. She is currently an executive director and head of transport for WSP's UK Planning & Advisory business where she leads around 600 staff delivering projects for public and private sector clients.^[4][7]

Skinner helped to set up the (formerly Women's Transportation Seminar) network in London in June 2005 and is now one of its Patrons, having been a founding member of its board and president from 2009 to 2013.^[4][7] Skinner also works to encourage schoolgirls into taking up STEM subjects.^[4] She is a regular industry speaker, the lead author of papers on the implementation of driverless vehicles including "Making Better Places" (2016),^[11] "New Mobility Now" (2017) ^[12] and various prior publications on the application of digital technology to the construction industry, collaboration and innovation.

In 2018, Skinner was invited to become one of ten Commissioners for the newly formed Infrastructure Commission for Scotland.^[13]

References[]