D&I Annual Conference: Engineering intersecting with life - inperson

Roni Savage

Roni Savage is CEO and Founder of Jomas Associates, an Engineering Company serving the Construction Industry since 2009. Named Most Influential Woman in Construction 2022, Roni is a Honorary Fellow of Royal Institute of British Architects, a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Geologist and SiLC (Specialist in Land Condition). A graduate of University of Portsmouth with a BEng(hons) in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, she also holds a Masters’ (with distinction) in Environmental Management from University of Exeter, she has worked on many major construction schemes, including the widening of the A406 and M25, as well as various buildings and structures across the UK. She has been involved in designing sustainable remediation solutions to enable the reclamation of several brownfield sites, which would have laid derelict otherwise. Multi-award winner, and mum of three boys, Roni is a passionate diversity champion, speaking internationally on matters relating to diversity in business, engineering and construction. Roni is policy chair for construction for the federation of small businesses, with an advisory role to the UK government, and vice chair of YMCA SPG, a charity committed to empowering young people.

Jeshika Moonsamy

Jeshika Moonsamy is a civil engineer, registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa, with 17 years of engineering consultancy experience in the planning, design and delivery of large water sector projects in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Jeshika is currently a Senior Associate Civil Engineer and Resource Lead for the Water Engineering Team in the Water Consultancy Division and serves as the Chair of the Advance EDI Committee within the Water and Environment business unit at Mott MacDonald. Jeshika recently became a graduate of the Royal Academy of Engineering's’ Inclusive Leadership Programme 2025, having served as the Project Lead for the Mott MacDonald team. She is passionate about sustainability in the built environment, mentorship and capacity building, and works as a trainer for the Federation of International Consulting Engineers' (FIDIC) Future Leaders Management Certificate Programme and Discipline Head for Sustainability Management at the FIDIC Academy. Jeshika has served several local and international engineering and business organisations, chairing and supporting Board Committees in promoting sustainable engineering, diversity and inclusion. Examples include the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, Consulting Engineers South Africa, Infrastructure South Africa’s Technical Advisory Panel, FIDIC, FIDIC Africa, the University of Kwazulu-Natal’s Industry Advisory Board for the School of Civil Engineering and as an Executive Director at Bosch Projects in South Africa.

Patrick (Poggy) Murray Whitham

Patrick (Poggy) Murray Whitham is a professionally accredited engineer, Chartered manager, and accomplished diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) specialist with significant experience in consultative solutions, project and programme management, and business leadership. After over a decade in automation engineering, Poggy has recently refocussed their career on advancing DEI in engineering. Poggy is accredited by the IET, CMI, and IMechE, holds a BEng in Aerospace Engineering, an MSc in Engineering Management, and is pursuing a doctorate at Heriot-Watt, specialising in DEI in Engineering. As Programme Manager for EqualEngineers, Poggy is part of the senior leadership team and leads on DEI initiatives and programmes, including the Skills Bootcamps in Engineering, research such as the Masculinity in Engineering study, and business development. Poggy also manages EqualEngineers’ seven Diversity Networks: InterEngineering (the LGBTQ+ Network), REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), Disability, Neurodiversity, Men's, Women's, and Menopause Networks. As a black, queer, disabled, and neurodivergent engineer from a low socio-economic background, Poggy has significant lived experience of intersecting identities and the challenges that these present working at various levels within engineering organisations. Through their work and research at EqualEngineers, InterEngineering, and beyond, Poggy is committed to driving impactful, systematic change in the industry.

Julian Perkins

Julian Perkins isa mechanical design engineer. He has spent most of his engineering career in the USA working in subsea oil and gas, designing subsea emergency equipment, flight aviation, and flight simulators. Moving to the UK in 2021 allowed him to experience new cultures, new perspectives, and the new possibility of working in the rail industry. He may be an engineer by day, but by night, he is an international volleyball player and a co-creator of an American zine, Enjambment, a project using poetry, creative writing, and photography to highlight social injustice. As he continues his career in engineering as a queer person of colour he hopes to expand the perception of who is an engineer and what an engineer looks like to reflect the diverse, intersectional society we live in today and to remove barriers and preconceptions for future engineers.

Greg Turner-Smart

Following a career in engineering, Greg discovered his passion for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) when launching Prism, the Rolls-Royce plc LGBTQ+ employee network, which he led from 2015 to 2021. Stepping down after leading Rolls-Royce into the Stonewall Top 100 Employers Index, Greg accepted the role of Group Inclusion and Diversity Lead in 2020, leading on their global EDI strategy. Moving to Rolls-Royce SMR in 2022, Greg is now EDI Manager with full accountability for all things inclusion. He was named the winner of the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2023 Nuclear Skills Awards and has been shortlisted for recognition at events including the British LGBT Awards and the European Diversity Awards. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.

Dr Jean Marc Feghali

Being visually impaired and obtaining a PhD in the mobility of visually impaired people at Imperial College London, Jean Marc is driven by the life-changing potential of his research and its impact on assistive technology. Jean Marc leverages his findings in the development of the WeWALK Smart Cane, named one ofTIME magazine’sBest Inventions in 2019, through managing multi-million-pound R&D collaborations with world-leading partners including Microsoft and RNIB. Jean Marc also regularly advises on transport accessibility and sits on Transport for London’s advisory board for disability and inclusion. Jean also conducts novel mobility research that has been recognised through an Imperial College Medal for Outstanding Achievement, the Walter Redlich Prize for Academic Excellence, and the Royal Institute of Navigation for an Outstanding Contribution to a More Navigable World.

Gökhan Meriçliler

Gokhan Mericliler is the co-founder and CEO of WeWALK, developing the revolutionary WeWALK Smart Cane to enhance visually impaired people's mobility. As an experienced social impact entrepreneur, Gokhan has been a leading member of the Young Guru Academy (YGA), a social innovation non-profit, for over 15 years. In addition to being a graduate of Imperial College London, Gokhan drives WeWALK’s growth, securing several funding rounds and global partnerships with organisations including Nesta Impact Investment, Microsoft, and Innovate UK.

Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng

Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng serves as Chair Professor in Positioning and Navigations Systems and is the Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. Professor Ochieng currently holds the position ofPresident at the Royal Institute of Navigation and is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Science Museum Group.

Robin Spinks

A compelling communicator, inspirational leader and passionate digital inclusion advocate, Robin currently works as Head of Inclusive Design at RNIB, providing leadership and expertise for the organisation’s inclusive design function. Robin leads on the development of innovative strategic collaborations globally. He has also personally instigated the development of smartphone -based assistive technology applications at major global tech companies, most recently Pixel Magnifier at Google. Robin has directly influenced product design by consulting for multiple major tech brands. Robin has worked with disability organisations in 37 countries across two decades including extensive work with NGOs, the private sector and governments in Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean. Robin led the development of a unique cross sector partnership establishing a sustainable assistive technology model for Africa. A parent, published author, runner and podcaster, Robin is active on various company innovation strategy boards where he provides lived experience and deep community understanding of the needs of disabled people. He routinely delivers university lectures and conference presentations and speaks to national and international press on smart tech, travel and transport, digital inclusion and social change. Robin has also presented at tech industry keynotes around the world and hosted fireside chats for major global brands including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Samsung, Telefonica and Huawei. Robin has recently taken on the role of Chair of the European Blind Union Digitalisation Working Group.

Hadeel Ayoub

Hadeel Ayoub is a visionary entrepreneur, researcher and founder of BrightSign Glove, a groundbreaking innovation designed to bridge communication barriers for individuals with speech impairments. With a background in human-computer interaction, and gesture recognition in assistive technology, Hadeel is a passionate advocate for diversity, and developing inclusive solutions that empower people with disabilities. Her work has been recognised globally, earning multiple awards in innovation and artificial intelligence. She is excited to share her insights in this year's Diversity and Inclusion Conference at the Royal Academy of Engineering, discussing how assistive technology can drive greater inclusivity and accessibility in today's world.

Max Wilson

Max is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, specialising in neurotechnologies. Max leads the Brain Data Group, which is focused on the use of fNIRS brain data, about mental workload and other cognitive activity, as a form of personal data, that can be used to evaluate technology and work tasks. This involves lab research with scientific fNIRS devices, and qualitative research with people about consumer devices and setting brain goals. Max sits on the steering committee for the flagship conference in the field of Human-Computer Interaction, and is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the highest-impact journal: the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

Dr Graham Pullin

Graham Pullin is Professor of Design and Disability at DJCAD, the art college at the University of Dundee. Here he co-founded Studio Ordinary, a collective across disability studies and design research, with the intention of changing the conversation around disability. Projects include Hands of X, a speculative prosthetics service offering a choice of materials, prototyped in an eyewear retailer in Kings Cross; and imagining alternative futures with augmentative and alternative communication, a manifesto co-authored with three people who use AAC, two of whom have intersectional experience as Black disabled men. Graham is the author of Design meets disability, a monograph that calls for more creative sensibilities and individuals to be involved in disability design, alongside (if not also themselves) disabled people. He originally trained and practiced as an engineer in manufacturing industry, medical engineering and assistive robotics (miscellaneously designing the glazing joint behind the glass wall in Southwark tube station). He then studied industrial design at the Royal College of Art, and went on to lead a multidisciplinary studio of designers, engineers and human factors specialists at international design group IDEO, before a mid-career move to academia.