Ing. Mrs. Carlien Bou-Chedid has been sworn-in as the new President of Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) at an event to round off its 48th Annual General Conference.
She becomes the first ever female President of the Institution.
Since its formation, the Presidency of the institution has been male dominated.
The event took place on Friday, March 31, 2017, at Sunyani, in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Mrs. Carlien Bou-Chedid, a product of Holy Child Girls and Presec Legon respectively becomes the 49th President of the GhIE, replacing Ing. Dr. Kwame Boakye, the immediate past president of the institution.
She was sworn into office by an appeal court judge justice Gertrude Torkornoo at a banquet held in her honour attended by dignitaries including ministers of state as well as representatives of fellow engineers from Africa.
Ing (Mrs) Carlien Bou-Chedid is a structural\Earthquake Engineering consultant with more than 30 years of experience covering a wide range of activities. She holds a BSc (Hons) in civil Engineering from the university of Surrey, UK(1983) and an MSc in Earthquake Engineering and structural Dynamics from the Imperial College of science Technology and medicine, London UK (1993).
She became the first Ghanaian female structural engineer upon graduation and subsequently joined the Architectural and Engineering Services Corporation (AESC), (1985-93.). AESC, she was engaged in designing structures, supervising the work of contractors and managing engineering projects among other portfolios.
President Carlien Bou-Chedid is a fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, a member of the Ghana Earthquake Society and a member of the first class of Housner Fellows of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), as well as serving on several boards of institutions in the country.
Delivering her inaugural speech, Mrs Bou-Chedid said she was humble and grateful to be elected to lead the GhIE as its first female president saying ‘I feel the weight of responsibility as I see the hopes and expectations of many, all wishing me well, urging me on and praying for me to achieve, but I know I am not in this alone. I have the support of the Women in Engineering (WINE), my past presidents and many others’ she stated.
She paid glowing tributes to people who have supported her through her life journey especially her late father E. Y.S. Engman a civil engineer and a past president of GhIE noting my parents understood the need to encourage the natural creativity of children and I had access to items such as bulbs, magnets, science sets and so on which I could explore.
Under her tenure for the next one year, she promised to operate in five thematic areas which include corporate governance, education and training, professional practice among others to keep the institution moving forward.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisa Djaba on her part congratulated the new president for defying all odds to realise her achievement.
She said her achievement would inspire other young female and girls to aspire to greater heights and congratulated the members of the institution for electing and accepting Mrs. Bou-Chedid as their new president.
According to the minister, the government was working towards increasing women in corporate and political leadership adding we are building on our legal and policy environment to empower women.
She said the government is working on the national gender policy and currently working on getting the affirmative Action bill passed into law to promote and ensure that are gender equity adding the government was committed to implementing laws and policies which will create more opportunities for women to actively participate in national leadership.
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