Laidlaw Scholars Introduction to Leadership Day: In Conversation with Hayat Sindi
For our first Laidlaw Scholars Introduction to Leadership Day, the trailblazing medical scientist Dr Hayat Sindi will join us in conversation for an inspiring opening session, where scholars will have the opportunity to gain first-hand insights into leadership, innovation, and global impact.
Speaker Bio:
Dr Hayat Sindi is a Saudi medical scientist with a focus on medical testing and biotechnology, She holds nine patents for a machine that combines the effects of light and ultra-sound for use in biotechnology in early detection of breast cancer.
Dr Sindi graduated from King’s College London in Pharmacology in 1995 and was the first woman from the Gulf region to obtain a PhD in biotechnology from the University of Cambridge, Newnham College.
Dr Sindi co-founded and led a non-profit organization ‘Diagnostics For All’ – a program to create affordable diagnostic devices for millions of people in impoverished regions. In 2008, she led the ‘Diagnostics For All’ business team to first place in Harvard Business School’s Business Plan Contest, in the social enterprise track, and also to first place in MIT’s $100K Entrepreneurship Competition in the same year.
In 2011 Dr Sindi launched “i2 Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity”. She was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic in 2012, and in 2014, she received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for “Leadership in Civil Society”, in recognition of her work in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship among young people.
Dr Sindi was appointed in 2013 among the first 30 women to sit in the Shura Council, Saudi Arabia’s consultative assembly.
In 2017, Dr Sindi was appointed as Senior Scientific Advisor to the President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and in 2018, she contributed to the launch of IsDB’s $500m Transform Fund and Engage platform.
Dr Sindi was voted one of the BBC’s top 100 Women in 2018, and in 2019, the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) exceptionally awarded her one of the “TWAS Medal Lectures” in recognition of her achievements in biotechnology and her leading, inspirational role as a woman scientist putting innovation to the service of the developing world and promoting science education.
Dr Sindi is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her efforts to promote science education in the Middle East especially for girls, and recently launched her global consulting firm, The institute for Quality (iQ).
WHEN: Saturday 25th April 2026
9.00AM – 10.00 AM: Discussion in the Beves Room
Please note that this is a private event for the 2026 Cohort of Laidlaw Scholars only.