Rachel Skinner

Rachel Skinner CBEFREngFICE
Born	December 1976 (age 47)
Nationality	British
Education	Durham University(BSc) University of Leeds(MSc(Eng))
Occupation	Engineer
Children	3
Engineering career
Discipline	Civil Engineering
Institutions	Institution of Civil Engineers
Awards	Most distinguished winner of 2017 & best woman civil engineer 2017 at the European Women in Construction and Engineering Awards. Top 50 Women in Engineering, 2016

Rachel Susan SkinnerCBEFREngFICE(néeBass;born December 1976) is a British civil engineer with Canadian-based consultantWSP Global.She was named one of theDaily TelegraphTop 50 Influential Women in Engineeringin 2016 and both the Best Woman Civil Engineer and the Most Distinguished Winner at the European Women in Construction and Engineering Awards in 2017.Skinner became the youngest president of theInstitution of Civil Engineersin 2020.In 2019, she was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Academy of Engineering(FREng).She was appointedCBEfor services to infrastructure in the2022 New Year Honours.

Early life and education

Skinner was born in December 1976. She attendedDowne House School.She earned a bachelor's degree withfirst-class honoursin geography atDurham University.She said that she "fell into engineering completely by chance" when she took a job as atransport plannerin 1998.In 2001, she was awarded aMaster of Sciencedegree in transportation planning and engineering with a distinction by theUniversity of Leeds.In 2019 she returned to Durham to deliver the "Hatfield College Lecture."

Career

Skinner has been involved with theInstitution of Civil Engineerssince 2003, when she became achartered engineer(CEng). She is also now a fellow of the institution (FICE), and sits on its Trustee Board,and has chaired the ICE's London region in 2010, stood for Council in 2015 and was confirmed by the ICE council as succeeding vice president in April 2017. Skinner became president in November 2020.She was the youngest person ever to hold the post of president of the ICE, and the second female president.Skinner chaired the advisory board of theNew Civil Engineermagazine between 2017 and November 2019.Skinner is a qualifiedtransport planning professionaland also a Fellow of theChartered Institution of Highways and Transportation(FCIHT),as well as an honorary fellow of theSociety for the Environment.

Skinner has held several senior positions atWSP Global,the consultancy and design firm, including as UK director of transportation planning and European director of marketing and communications for Parsons Brinckerhoff,and in 2024, she is UK Director of Government Relations & Corporate Responsibility.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.

Skinner helped to set up theWomen in Transport(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.She was also Director of Tilson Close Management for seven years.

Skinner also works to encourage female students into taking upSTEM subjects.She is a regular industry speaker, the lead author of papers on the implementation of driverless vehicles including "Making Better Places" (2016),"New Mobility Now" (2017)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.

Skinner was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire(CBE) in the2022 New Year Honoursfor services to infrastructure.In the same year she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Leeds.