Shilpi Akbar

Head of Stakeholders and Communities, Head of Skills, Employment and Education, Balfour Beatty VINCI 

Shilpi Akbar joined Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and VINCI responsible for designing and building 90km of HS2, the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Shilpi is Head of Stakeholders and Communities, a role which enables her to lead the Skills, Education and Employment agenda right across areas impacted by HS2’s line of route.  

As a member of BBV’s Executive team, Shilpi is delivering on a BBV commitment to deliver a 5% apprenticeship workforce, as well as creating pathways to jobs for local people. Her role sees her engage with a broad range of stakeholders, including local authorities, training providers and politicians. She also engages with the education sector across the region to ensure BBV can positively impact the careers and employment prospects of young people in education.  

In addition, Shilpi is a Director on the Board of the Black Country and Marches IoT, and she sits on several other boards including the WM National Careers Service Advisory Board, the Solihull Employment and Skills Board and, more recently, the new Employer Advisory Board for HMP Birmingham.