The annual Hinton Lecture is the Academy's most prestigious lecture and a highlight in the engineering calendar. This year were delighted to welcome our keynote speaker Mark Wild, former CEO of Crossrail. Mark shared his story of delivering one of Europe’s largest engineering projects, along with his thoughts on engineering leadership. Following the lecture, Mark was joined by panellists Isabel Coman, Director of Engineering and Asset Strategy, TfL, and Temi Afolabi, Strategy and Operations Director, The Nichols Group, for an audience Q&A, chaired by Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Academy of Engineering.
Mark Wild
After initially training as an electrical engineer, Mark Wild has more than 30 years of experience leading complex and critical infrastructure projects, mostly in transportation. Most notably, Mark was CEO of Crossrail from 2018 until the completion of the Elizabeth Line, and prior to that, Managing Director of the London Underground. His long career in operating and building major transportation infrastructure also includes his roles as former Managing Director of Westinghouse Signals and CEO of Public Transport Victoria.
Temi Afolabi
Temi is the Strategy and Operations Director at The Nichols Group, where he supports clients in delivering infrastructure projects. Temi leads the strategic direction for Nichols’ Environmental business area, working with clients to address environmental, social and climate challenges, and supporting the delivery of the UK’s net zero strategy. He has worked on Crossrail for over four years, leading the final stages of commissioning, systems integration and bringing the service into operational use. Temi is an infrastructure and operational leader, with a focus on supporting growth within the sector to achieve a thriving and prosperous economy.
Isabel Coman
Isabel Coman is a civil engineer whose career has centred on the delivery of large transport infrastructure projects in the UK. She has led major programmes of work in this area for over 15 years, including on Crossrail and HS2. Isabel has spent the last two years in Parliament as Managing Director of In House Services and Estates, leading the capital programmes, estate services and operation and maintenance for the Parliamentary Estate and heritage collections. This autumn Isabel will be moving to Transport for London as Director of Engineering and Asset Strategy.