WOMAN CRUSH WEDNESDAY: YEWANDE MAYOMI-AKINOLA
“There are lots of people who still think women are not as capable in engineering. We need to get the story right for future generations.”
No statement could be truer. A direct quote from a woman in engineering who is killing it! Our WCW is the lovely Yewande Akinola whose achievements in engineering were worthy of a Queen’s notice. Not just any queen, THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND! In 2019, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire(MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of her services to Engineering and to Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Design and Innovation.
Yewande Akinola is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in sustainable water supplies. She was born in 1984 in Nigeria. Her father, J. M Akinola, was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works of the old Western Region in Nigeria. From a young age, she very interested in buildings. She was so sure she was going to study architecture, she actually applied to four universities to study architecture and two to study engineering.
She was admitted at the University of Warwick on a fantastic degree programme studying engineering, design and appropriate technology and she completed her degree in 2007
“There’s a satisfaction that comes from having an idea and then seeing that idea develop into something useful and practical. Something one can actually touch/feel, something that interacts and has a positive impact on people’s lives.”
During her degree she was a mechanical engineer for Thames Water, where she worked on clean water treatment sites. In 2007 she was employed by Arup Group as a Design Engineer designing water supplies and water management systems. While working for Arup, she earned a master’s degree from Cranfield University in 2011.
She is interested in developing water and sanitation for underdeveloped countries. She has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, Middle East and East Asia. She is the founder of the Global Emit Project, which mentors young people who are interested in engineering.
In 2010, Yewande was shortlisted and won the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award. In 2014, she designed a Rainwater Harvesting System. Yewande is a prominent voice in the movement to increase diversity within engineering. A cause we fully support.
In 2013 she worked with Girl Guiding UK to encourage more young women into engineering. She featured in a Royal Academy of Engineering campaign "Designed to Inspire".
She was featured on the QEPrize 2014 campaign "Create The Future".She delivered a keynote talk at the 2016 Ada Lovelace day celebration. She featured in the Institution of Engineering and Technology 2017 campaign “Portrait of an Engineer”
Awards. Such a long list of achievements and she’s not even 40 yet!
She currently works as Principal Engineer for Laing O’Rourke and hosts television shows about engineering for Channel 4 and National Geographic. She is happy married with a child and resides in the UK.
SOME OF HER ACHIEVEMENTS
1998 - Nigerian National Mathematics Award
2009 - UK’s Society of Public Health Engineers Award for Young Rising Star
2012 - Exceptional Achiever Award by the Association for Black Engineers (AFBE-UK)
2012 - Young Woman Engineer of the Year from the IET
2013 - Management Today’s top 35 women under 35
2014 - PRECIOUS Award for Outstanding Woman in STEM
2019- Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Top Most Influential Women Leaders in Engineering UK and Europe(Financial Times)
Connect with Yewande Mayomi- Akinola on:
-Instagram: yewande.akinola
-Twitter: YeWanDae
-LinkedIn: Yewande Akinola MBE
Her website: yewandeakinola.co.uk
ABOUT US
WIE-UISB stands for Women in Engineering, University of Ibadan Students Branch. A community dedicated to empowering ladies in Engineering and other STEM fields.
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Twitter- @wie_uisb
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