ITS alumna becomes President of the Institution of Civil Engineers

ITS alumna Rachel Skinner has been inaugurated as the 156th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Rachel Skinner studied Transport Planning and Engineering MSc at the University of Leeds and graduated in 2001. She is now both the youngest and second female President in the ICE’s 202-year history.

Skinner explained that she will spend her year in office focusing on reaching the government’s carbon net zero target or 2050. During her speech, she explained that civil engineering’s input is essential to making this happen, calling engineers to “step up and step in to tackle climate change”.

Rachel Skinner said: “Our infrastructure is now, in terms of our processes, the operations and the way we do things, the number one driver of carbon dioxide emissions across the world and those emissions are the cause of climate change.

“From civil engineers’ point of view this is a huge problem but is also a serious opportunity for change and leadership.”

You can watch Rachel’s presidential address here.