The College warmly congratulates Honorary Fellow Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE (Biochemistry, 1994) who has been made a Dame (DBE) in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours list.
Dame Hayaatun Sillem is founder and CEO of Argentic Associates, focussed on transforming major philanthropy. Until the end of 2025, she was CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. She is a member of the government’s Women in Tech Taskforce, trustee of various charities and NXD at construction company Laing O’Rourke. She previously co-chaired Lewis Hamilton’s Commission on diversity in motorsport and co-founded the Enterprise Hub, a leading deeptech accelerator.
She is trustee of EngineeringUK; member of the Made Smarter Commission on Industry 4.0; deputy chair of Festival*UK 2022; and advisory board member for accelerateHER and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. She has been named one of the ‘Inspiring Fifty Women in Tech’ and most influential women in engineering. She has a PhD in Biochemistry, is a Fellow of the IET and Honorary Professor at UCL. She was made CBE for services to International Engineering in 2019.
Her official honours citation in full:
As the first female Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, she has redefined the UK engineering landscape with strategic vision and inclusivity. Under her leadership, the Academy doubled in size and vastly extended its impact, including through her co-founding of the Academy Enterprise Hub, now a leading UK startup centre. She has mobilised resources to fund scalable climate-tech solutions and support innovators tackling the climate crisis, and has shaped national policy. She has been a practical and effective advocate for engineering skills and diversity, with a relatable and accessible approach.
Header image by Teri Pengilley, courtesy of Royal Academy of Engineering
