Members

Chairman

Modupe Williams

BEng (Hons), MBA, C.Eng MICE, MAPM RPP, FSLIE

Modupe is a Chartered Project Professional and Chartered Civil Engineer with extensive experience in delivering projects in complex multicultural urban settings. His professional experience combines policy formulation with the planning and delivery of major infrastructure projects in the UK and  Sierra Leone.

He has over 35 years of experience in providing strategic support to government agencies, city authorities and development corporations on planning policy, transformational change and promoting initiatives to address climate change by creating more sustainable cities. This includes the initiation and delivery of major infrastructure projects directly linked to the strategic economic development of cities, such as the Heathrow Terminal 5 airport expansion, Crossrail.  He is currently leading the promotion of a Cable Car as a clean mass transit solution for the city of Freetown.

He is the co-founder of Engineers for Change (Sierra Leone) and the Hastings Group. He is an approved Mentor under the Institution of Civil Engineers Mentor Supported Training scheme and provides mentor support to engineers in Sierra Leone pursuing UK Professional Engineering qualifications. He has delivered projects that provide technical capacity support to the University and other government institutions in Sierra Leone.  He has presented papers at international conferences and currently delivers lectures to postgraduate students at universities in the UK and the USA on related Urban Development issues in Sierra Leone.

Secretary

Mariama Whitmore

Mariama is a Senior Commercial Manager with Transport for London specialising in pre and post contract management and administration. She has over 25 years of extensive operational and administrative experience in public transport operations, infrastructure and logistics, and has worked in both surface and underground transportation.

She is currently the Lead Commercial Manager for the Capacity & Optimisation Portfolio at London Underground, overseeing the procurement and commercial management of a number of programmes including civil works, signal and controls systems for the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. As a Senior Procurement Manager at London Underground, Mariama was responsible for the procurement function of one of the company’s investment programmes, focusing on strategic purchasing activities including contract awards for the Victoria Line Mid-Tunnel Ventilation Shafts (cc £25m) and Sub Surface lines power upgrade packages (cc £120m). Mariama has provided planning, logistics and the procurement of materials and spares for the maintenance of trains, signals and associated assets.

Mariama’s human resource experience has been gained through the process of negotiating and recruiting professional service providers under performance management and appraisal frameworks. She is also an accredited workplace mediator for TfL.

Treasurer

Henry Smith

Henry Smith graduated with a BEng (Hons) from Fourah Bay College and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot Watt University. He is a chartered engineer with over thirty years of engineering experience in various countries in Africa and Europe.

He has electrical design and installation experience from working in Sierra Leone and Nigeria where he was responsible for major projects. He later joined Schlumberger, a major service company to Oil and Gas companies where he worked internationally for twenty years in various positions.

Since 2008, Henry has been working as a Director/Petroleum engineer, interpreting oil well data and training petroleum engineers in various countries.

Research, Training and Publications Committee Chair

Dr Reginald Leopold

PhD, MSc, MSc, BEng (Hons), PE (France), CEng, MCIWEM

Dr Reg Leopold is a Chartered Civil, Water and Environmental Engineer with over 30 years experience in the Consulting, Construction and Mining industries, having also served as Lecturer at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone, and as a Guest Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering of his Doctoral Alma Mater the University of Newcastle where his pioneering thesis on the development and application of Artificial Intelligence software to the design of Sustainable Water Supply Systems in Developing Countries, was also produced.

He has managed projects in West Africa, North Africa, France and the UK, including flagship joint-ventures in Water Supply & Sanitation, Environmental & Socio-Economic Impact Assessments, Air Quality and Noise, Rail, Roads, Highways &Transportation, and Marine (Aids-to-Navigation ) engineering.

Following his undergraduate BEng (Hons) studies at FBC, Reg proceeded to France where in Toulouse, he obtained with distinction an MSc in Water Treatment & Supply Engineering, and a subsequent MSc in Applied Ichthyology & Environmental Engineering from ENSA-INP and INSA-UPS, respectively.

Dr Leopold is an accredited Professional Engineer in France (La Fondation de l’Eau – Institut de l’Eau) and fully bilingual in French and English. He has provided pivotal advice to the sub-regional federation of engineering organisations whose membership is predominantly Francophone and Anglophone countries, on optional pathways leading to the development of a framework towards the harmonisation of engineering education, professional accreditation and international mobility, as considered in an article presented to UNESCO’s 7th Edition of Africa Engineering Week Conference in October 2021.

Relationship Building (UK)

Rowland Gordon

BEng (Hon), C.Eng, MSc, MSLIE, FCIHT

Rowland has a BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering degree from the University of Sierra Leone and an MSc degree in Urban Civil Engineering from South Bank University.

Rowland has a broad range of experience in highways and wider engineering activity and currently manages a team of Highway Maintenance, Structures and Drainage Engineers working on a diverse range of projects.

Rowland is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers and is involved with a number of charities promoting education and in particular engineering studies.

Relationship Building SL Committee Chair

Trudy Morgan

BEng (Hons), MBA, C.Eng, MICE, MSLIE, MAPM

Trudy Morgan is a UK Chartered Engineering and is the Institution of Civil Engineer’s International Representative in Sierra Leone. Trudy has an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management well as BEng (Hons) from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. Trudy is a Member of the UK Association of Project Managers. She sits on the Council of the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers and is on the board of the Professional Engineers’ Registration Council.

She is currently working in Sierra Leone as the Programme Director on the $70M design and construction of the new Hilton Cape Sierra Hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Whilst in Sierra Leone, she has also worked with the World Bank in developing a programme to address the challenges of inadequate of the urban services provision within the capital, Freetown and more recently on the Schools Reopening Programme in response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone.

She is a Presidential nominee to the National Privatisation Commission and has been working with the Ministry of Finance to leverage the recently created Skills Development Fund for young engineers. Trudy is representing Engineers for Change in Sierra Leone and is jointly for building relationships for EfCSL in Sierra Leone.

Trustee

Ambassador Yvette Stevens

Ing Stevens studied at the Moscow Energy and Power Institute and the Imperial College of Science and Technology, where she gained a double Masters’ degree before returning to Freetown in 1974 as Sierra Leone first female Engineer.  She taught Engineering at Fourah Bay College from 1974 to 1980, during which time she worked for As Lecturer, Department of Electrical Engineering, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, teaching courses in electrical power systems.   During this period, she also worked as a consultant for Mechanical, Electrical and Management Consultants (MEMCON) and for Electrical Consultants and Associates (ECA), both in Freetown. 

She joined the United Nations (International Labour Organization) as a Technology Expert in 1980, on a project which a project that was undertaken in three countries in Africa (Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone).   Under this project, she identified and developed technological options to save energy, time and labour.  The technologies introduced included improved stoves for cooking and food processing and mechanized equipment for cassava and palm-oil processing.

While at ILO, she also undertook studies and analyses of the uses and possible applications of new technologies in traditional activities in developing countries.  These included: uses of photovoltaic, satellite communications, new construction materials; microelectronics and microprocessors, and satellite remote sensing. She worked for various United Nations entities over a period 28 years, during which, she paid particular attention to the development and application of new technologies, including solar technology for development.

After her retirement from the United Nations, she returned to Sierra Leone to serve as Energy Policy Adviser to the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, from 2009 to 2012.  In this capacity, she spearheaded the drawing up of Sierra Leone first Energy Policy and Strategy.  She worked with the Law Department to draw up the Sierra Leone Energy and Water Regulation Act as well as the National Electricity Act, which were passed in Parliament in 2011. 

She was also instrumental in setting up the Energy Directorate within the Ministry and in initiating solar energy projects in the country. She was named Sierra Leone first Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva in 2012.

Member

Keith Aki-Sawyerr

Keith is an experienced engineer who has made the transition to strategic leadership and management.  Keith thrives in operating in new and challenging environments and has a unique ability to develop or nurture innovative ideas.

Member

Abubakarr Bah

BEng (Hons), MSc, CQP, MCQI, MSLIE, MCIOB

Abubakarr is a civil engineer and construction management professional with over 30 years experience of delivering building and infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom.

He has a BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Sierra Leone and MSc in Construction from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. Abubakarr is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers and the Chartered Quality Institute.

Abubakarr has been a member of Engineers for Change since its inception and has been actively involved in fundraising activities for the University of Sierra Leone.

Expert Advisor

Professor Michael Lowe

BSc, MSc, PhD, FREng

Michael received a BSc degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1979, and an MSc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College in 1987 and 1993 respectively.  Between 1979 and 1989 he worked for WS Atkins (Consultant Engineers, Epsom, UK), specialising in the application and development of numerical methods for the solution of problems in solid mechanics.  He has worked at Imperial College London since 1989.

His research is in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), with particular interests in structure-guided ultrasound, wave theory, and analytical and numerical modelling. His teaching interests are in mechanics, stress analysis, mathematics, vibration, and Finite Element Modelling.

He is Head of the Applied Mechanics Division and Deputy Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with specific management responsibility for the teaching activities of the department. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (elected 2014) and is a director of Guided Ultrasonics Ltd (www.guided-ultrasonics.com), a spin-out company which was set up to commercialise the outputs of research in ultrasonic guided waves.

Member

Eur Ing Laurence Pratt

B.Eng (Hons), MEng, C.Eng, FICE, FSLIE, FCIHT

Laurence Pratt’s career as a civil engineer spans over 40 years. He is a co-founder, past Chairman and current Trustee Board Secretary of Engineers for Change (Sierra Leone) – EfCSL.

Since the formation of EfCSL, he has worked with the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) to re-establish the role of the ICE Country Representative for Sierra Leone. Additionally, he has been involved with fundraising and donation projects to support engineering education in Sierra Leone.

Laurence Pratt has presented technical papers to the International Roads Federation and the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers conferences respectively. He is particularly committed to increasing the awareness of and pride in professional engineering institutions amongst engineering students and graduate engineers.

Expert Advisor

Professor Paul W Jowitt

CBE, FRSE, FREng, FICE

Paul Jowitt is Professor of Civil Engineering Systems at Heriot-Watt University. He is a Past President (2009-10) of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.  In 2011 he was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for Services to Technology. He is President of the Commonwealth Engineers Council.

Between 1999 and 2014 he was the Executive Director of the Scottish Institute of Sustainable Technology – a research-led consultancy providing innovative solutions for sustainable development in the natural and built environments.  SISTech was a joint venture between Heriot Watt University and the international engineering consultancy MWH.

Paul’s major interests are in the fields of sustainable development, systems thinking, international development and water supply and water resources engineering

He was a Board Member of Scottish Water from 2002-2008, and a non-Executive Director of United Utilities Water from 2009-2011.

Member

Sammy Spaine

BEng (Hons), CEng, MICE, AMAE, APMP, FICE

Sammy is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years of progressive professional experience, within multiple establishments, and a Senior Project Manager with exemplary, proven technical and commercial achievements. He is currently an Associate Director with WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering consulting firms.

Sammy is a Member of the UK Association of Project Managers, an associate of the UK Academy of Experts, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Sammy specialises in Infrastructure (Water & Drainage) and has had his work published in several public planning portals such as the whitehorsedc.gov.uk; ribblevalley.gov.uk; and highpeak.gov.uk. He provides Expert Witness services in the field of drainage and flooding and teaches the subject to industry colleagues such as the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for their CPD Foundation Programs as well as Housing Developers.

Sammy presently supports several organisations promoting civil engineering education and plays an important role in the professional development of our Apprentices and Graduate Engineers in WSP’s Development and Infrastructure Team as a Supervising Civil Engineer.

Member

Owen Davies

CEng, FIMechE, MAPM

Owen arrived by ship in Freetown as a very excited five-year-old boy with his family in 1959 and returned to the UK, rather sadly, just after Independence in 1961.  His father was the last holder of the Resident Naval Officer’s post at the Royal Navy’s King Tom Naval Base.  He last visited Sierra Leone in 2020 and was equally sad to leave.

From 1972 to 1995 he served as a Marine Engineer Officer in the Royal Navy, specialising in Nuclear Submarines but also serving in Diesel-electric Submarines and Surface Ships.  He left the Royal Navy, as a Commander, to join Devonport Management Ltd as the Principal Trident Works Engineer to help prepare Devonport Royal Dockyard for the refitting of the VANGUARD Class Ballistic Missile Submarines.   After managing the refuelling of the first of class, HMS VANGUARD, he worked within what became the Babcock International Group on a range of Business Development, Ship Building and Ship Repair projects including the design and construction at Appledore and Devonport of the luxury superyacht Vava II for which he was the Project Director.

He retired in 2017 but continues his IMechE Mentoring and Professional Review Panellist activities and it is principally in these areas that he is competent to contribute to EfCSL. 

Member

Hassie Koromah

Member

Yema Gilpin

Member

Thomas Clarkson-Williams

Member

Cassandra Coker

Profile coming soon.

Trustee

Sallu Pujeh

 Sallu Pujeh is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a part-time PhD candidate at the University of Surrey, where he is researching the infrastructural resilience of small water supplies in Sierra Leone. His research focuses on how the lack of resilience in small water infrastructures affects water supplies in rural communities. 

Sallu is also a Project Manager with extensive experience delivering multi-million-pound packages in the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone. He is an active contributor to the STEM community and has been invited to speak to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) graduate and post-graduate students at Imperial and Surrey University. He has also engaged in online sessions organised by UCAS and schools to share his university and industrial experience with pupils, encouraging them to undertake engineering and more BAME students to pursue careers in STEM. 

Sallu is a mentor to a couple of his junior colleagues through the Institution of Civil Engineers company mentoring programme. He is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in engineering and is committed to helping more engineers achieve their chartered status.