Professional background and skills
Elaine Billington is the Chief People Officer at National Highways and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. She leads the organisation’s people strategy with a strong emphasis on workforce skills, business transformation, and cross-sector collaboration. Elaine brings extensive leadership experience from senior roles at United Utilities, VERTEX, Cable & Wireless, and Rentokil Initial, with deep expertise in organisational change, strategic workforce planning, and employee engagement.
Elaine is a passionate advocate for skills development and apprenticeships. She has chaired the Northwest Employer Apprentice Ambassador Network and joined the national Apprentice Diversity Champions Network. In 2020, she was awarded an MBE for services to industry and skills, in recognition of her work to raise the profile of apprenticeships and drive a new, collaborative approach to talent development across the sector.
Industry influence
Elaine is a key voice in shaping the future of workforce development across the infrastructure sector. Working alongside National Highways’ CEO Nick Harris and 17 other infrastructure leaders, she is helping to define a collaborative national skills strategy. She is also a leading advocate for the Supplier Development System (SDS), co-developed and hosted by the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which has delivered over 10,000 hours of learning to more than 1,000 managers and leaders and is now actively used by over 260 tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers.
Elaine plays a pivotal role in enabling SME capability building, particularly on major infrastructure projects like the Lower Thames Crossing, where local suppliers were upskilled through early engagement and partnership with the School. She works closely with Andrew Stephenson, National Highways’ Director of Procurement, to integrate skills development into supply chain strategy, supporting long-term value and resilience.
Other relevant information
Elaine is a Fellow of the CIPD and a prominent figure in raising awareness of the importance of skills development across the Roads sector. Her leadership has helped mature the industry’s approach to workforce readiness and collaboration, positioning her as a respected leader in shaping the future capabilities of the infrastructure supply chain.