For the first time in the 205-year history of ICE, Indian-origin Anusha Shah becomes president
London, 9 Nov : For the first time in the 205-year history of Britain’s prestigious ‘Institute of Civil Engineers’ (ICE), Indian-origin Professor Anusha Shah has been elected President. ICE is an independent association and charitable body of civil engineering professionals, with approximately 95,000 members.
As the 159th President of the institute, Anusha Shah took charge at ICE’s headquarters in London and delivered the presidential address on the theme of nature-positive engineering. Shah has expertise in water and environmental engineering. He has 22 years of experience designing, managing and leading major projects and programs in the UK and internationally.
He said in the speech, my tenure as President will focus on how to create an image of this profession as nature-friendly and people-positive in the hearts of people. Professor Shah said that construction work is responsible for 30 percent loss of biodiversity worldwide, but adopting a positive attitude towards nature and people will help engineers prevent environmental damage.
Shah grew up in Kashmir. At the age of 23, she tracked down a consulting company working on the conservation of Dal Lake in Kashmir in New Delhi and went to their office to talk about the role of engineer. Shah was one of two people to receive the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship in 1999. Later she came to Britain to pursue postgraduate studies in Water and Environmental Engineering at the University of Surrey. The University of East London awarded him an honorary doctorate in engineering in 2021 for his efforts to curb climate change. In the same year, the University of Wolverhampton also gave him the post of Honorary Professor for spreading knowledge.
Shah’s other achievements include becoming the youngest and first female President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London Region, before becoming a Fellow of the ICE in 2016. Two years later, he founded the ‘Climate Change Advisory Plan for the Earth’.
