Former NYCT head joins HNTB to lead transit, rail market sector

Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, a career transit and transportation professional who has led some of the largest transportation agencies in the country, joined HNTB as national transit and rail market sector leader and senior vice president on Feb. 3. Hakim is based in HNTB’s New York City office in the Empire State Building and will work with clients across the country.

Hakim is responsible for collaborating with HNTB leadership nationwide on strategic planning and implementation, industry representation, business development, service delivery, and client collaboration and satisfaction.

Hakim brings to HNTB 33 years of industry leadership experience. She most recently served as managing director of the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she was responsible for leading more than 70,000 employees in five operating agencies, overseeing transit systems that carry 9 million riders each day. She also was responsible for promoting the 2015-2019 $32.5 billion MTA Capital Program as well as working on the framework for the 2020-2024 $51.5 billion Capital Program.

Hakim’s executive leadership experience also includes serving as president of MTA New York City Transit, executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and executive director of New Jersey Transit, the only statewide transit system in the country and the nation’s third largest operator of buses, rail and light rail transit.

She also served as executive vice president and general counsel of the MTA’s Capital Construction subsidiary, the unit that manages the largest improvement and expansion projects in the nation, including East Side Access, where the Long Island Rail Road is being expanded to serve the iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Over the course of her career, Hakim has been recognized as an industry leader by professional associations, including the American Public Transportation Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, Women’s Transportation Seminar, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, General Contractors Association, Women Builders Council, the Alliance for Action, and the Subcontractors Trade Association. She is sought as a speaker by many industry associations.