From Boots the Chemist to Lewis Hamilton's Boardroom - Dr. Hayaatun Sillem & Jimmy McLoughlin OBE

This week, a special crossover episode: Jimmy's Jobs of the Future meets What We Don't Know. Hayaatun Sillem spent eight years as CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering - the first woman, and the first person in over two decades, to hold the role. Before that: 8 years of biochemistry, a walkout from the lab that ended her PhD overnight, and a stint advising Parliament on everything from forensic science to carbon capture. She also co-chaired Lewis Hamilton's commission on the representation of Black people in UK motorsport, and is now a founding trustee of his charity, Mission 44. In this conversation, Jimmy and Hayaatun cover the moment people mistook her for anyone but the CEO, the leadership skill she thinks is most underrated, the decision to leave a job she loved while she was still doing her best work, and why she thinks "more jazz than classical" is the only way to lead through uncertainty now. 🔗 Watch more from Jimmy's Jobs of the Future: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxoL7OXNn-JuGzZj7LQrtIA/ — What We Don't Know is a podcast about better leadership in a crazy, uncertain world, co-hosted by Hayaatun Sillem CBE and Matt Brittin CBE, produced in partnership with Boxlight Creative Studio. If you have any questions or want to come on the show, email us at: [email protected] ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ ---- TIMESTAMPS Timestamps 00:00 — Intro 01:00 — First job: Boots the Chemist, £2.32 an hour 01:09 — Becoming head girl 01:12 — The lab walkout that ended her PhD 01:15 — Parliament and the Science & Technology Select Committee 01:22 — What the Royal Academy of Engineering actually does 01:26 — Working with Lewis Hamilton 01:32 — Becoming CEO — "So what is it you do here?" 01:35 — The most underrated leadership skill 01:39 — Splitting the leadership team 01:41 — Deciding when to leave 01:43 — "More jazz than classical" — how leadership has changed 01:44 — What's next: starting a new venture, "back yourself" 01:50 — Quick fire round 01:53 — Most embarrassing moment as a leader 01:55 — What she failed at 01:59 — Is AI overhyped? 02:01 — What separates great from exceptional 02:04 — Outro ---- Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices