Susan Steele

Susan Steele, NACD.DC®

Chief Executive Officer, Steele & Partners

Sue Steele is a seasoned business leader, board director, and executive coach whose career spans the built environment, engineering and construction, energy, and global management consulting. As Founder and CEO of Steele & Partners, LLC, she advises public and private companies on governance, leadership performance, and sustainable growth. Her work centers on equipping boards and executive teams to navigate complexity, strengthen enterprise performance, and deliver durable value. She is widely recognized for guiding organizational transformation, improving operational discipline, and developing high-performing leadership cultures, and is also known for her expertise in safety leadership across complex capital programs and industrial operations. Her governance credentials include rigorous training and certification through the National Association of Corporate Directors, where she also serves as part of the 2025 Ambassador Cohort. She was inducted into the National Academy of Construction in 2021 and serves as Chair of the Executive Insights.

Sue's board experience reflects broad industry exposure and sound judgment shaped by decades leading global organizations. She served on the Board of Directors of Wood Group, PLC, a multinational consulting and engineering company headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she chaired the Safety & Sustainability Committee and contributed to the Audit Committee. She also served on the Board of Hill International, chairing the Nominating & Governance Committee and contributing to the Audit Committee through the company's acquisition by GISI. Her previous board role at Harvard Bioscience included participation on the Compensation Committee.

Sue has held multiple senior executive positions with major global firms. As CEO of JMJ Associates, a consultancy backed by London-based private equity group 3i, she delivered significant enterprise value growth while supporting clients across aerospace, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, mining, and life sciences. During her tenure at Jacobs Engineering, she served as Senior Vice President of Global Supply Management, overseeing 8 billion dollars in annual spend across international sourcing hubs, and earlier as Vice President of Global Maintenance Services, leading a $1.8-billion operation with a workforce of 15,000.

Earlier in her career, Sue held key leadership positions with CH2M, including Program Director for Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, a pioneering multibillion dollar sustainable urban development recognized globally for its ambition, scale, and environmental innovation. Masdar City, designed by Foster + Partners, aimed to establish one of the world's most sustainable urban environments through advanced energy efficiency, renewable generation, and integrated transit systems, and Sue served as Program Director, overseeing complex stakeholder engagement, technical integration, and delivery planning for the $22-billion development.

Her experience also includes senior roles in business development, industrial services, and revenue and regulatory management in the energy sector, strengthening her cross-industry understanding of operational systems and organizational dynamics.

Sue's professional achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including awards from the National Association of Women in Construction and Arizona State University. She holds an MBA from the University of Miami and a BS from Auburn University, where she now serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2025 to 2029 term.

Across all her roles, Sue is known for clarity of purpose, disciplined execution, and deep commitment to leadership development, and her work continues to influence organizations seeking improved performance, stronger governance, and long-term growth.