Yewande Akinola is a chartered engineer, innovator, and speaker. Her engineering experience includes the design and construction, innovation. and manufacture of buildings and systems in the built environment.
Her work cuts across education, engineering, technology, and innovation for a sustainable built environment. Over the years she has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, the Middle East, and in East Asia.
Her areas of expertise include engineering, innovation, sustainability, strategy, people, clean growth and infrastructure, development, and international partnerships for growth and economic advancement.
Yewande Akinola – Projects
Yewande has worked on some impressive projects all over the world, with project values of up to £500 million! Using engineering as a tool for creativity, she develops strategies towards the effective operation of business functions and sets clear visions for the development of people within organisations.
Her ongoing projects range from innovation consulting for large corporations and startups. She is providing services on innovation and supporting her partners as they take ideas through to products or services. She is also providing support with business developments.
She is committed to inspiring the next generation of engineers and technologists and spends a significant amount of time in schools and colleges. To scale the impact of the engagement and support the incredible work of lots of organisations tasked with securing a pipeline of engineers to meet the 200,000+ shortfall, she works with teachers, students, employers, and organisations to give young people the knowledge and inspiration they need.
She is a visiting professor at the University of Westminster; sits on the Governing Body at the University of Warwick; supports INNOVATE UK initiatives; sits on the Board of Trustees at the Institution of Engineer and Technology, serves as Vice-President and the chair of the Institutions’ Knowledge Services and Solutions Board.
She has served as the UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK’s Ambassador for Clean Growth and Infrastructure; is non-executive director of Midlands Mindforge (a £250 million patient capital investment company); and was appointed to the board of the biggest Pan African Innovation Enabler, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB).
Current projects include:
The Ripple Effect Conference: Yewande has curated this conference to strengthen the creativity and innovation in the engineering and technology industry. It was inspired by efforts to retain the incredible talent the industry currently enjoys. It was also designed to equip women in the industry with tools to navigate the industry, and inspire a generation of women who see their place in the industry.
Big Engineering Work Week: This is a virtual work experience programme designed to equip students in higher education with practical skills to be able to design sustainable systems for the built environment. It is designed to provide industry context to their learning, and challenge thinking; supports team building; and encourages the students to continue to innovate together.
The Inspire Series: An inspirational hour consisting of a 30 minute episode of a fun, engaging, vlog-type film. It is then followed by a panel discussion with the inspirational, award-winning engineers featured in the film.
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Yewande has presented engineer stories for a variety of television programmes. Her contributions have ranged from walking the shows of the people that build the Titanic, to exploring engineering marvels around the world. She has appeared on the BBC, CBBC, National Geographic, Channel 4, and the Science Channel.
She is able to bring a unique contribution to television programmes with her creative approach and passion. Her engineering experience, as well as regular engagement with varied demographics, has been of significant benefit to the TV projects she has worked on.
She has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia and has been named the UK Young Woman Engineer of the Year. She has also been named a 35 under 35 by Management Today and was awarded the Exceptional Achiever Award from the Association for BAME Engineers and the Association of Consultancy and Engineering, U.K. (ACE). She has been named one of the top 100 women in Engineering by Financial Times and Inclusive boards. She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster and is passionate about education and industry experience. She runs and supports varied programmes for young people and sits on the governing body at a UK University. She sits on the board of Trustees at the Institution of Engineering & Technology and is a Fellow of the IET. She is passionate about STEM communication and has presented Engineering programmes for Television.
In the 2020 New Year Honours list, Yewande was awarded an MBE for services to engineering innovation and diversity in STEM. She was recently awarded the exceptional award of Honorary Fellow by the Royal Academy of Engineering. She has recently been appointed the UK Innovation agency (Innovate UK) Ambassador for Clean Growth and Infrastructure and in addition has carried out significant ambassadorial work supporting Young People in Innovation and Women in Innovation Programmes.
