Siân
Hughes

Siân combines senior international business leadership with more than two decades’ experience at the intersection of EU public affairs, corporate communications and business leadership. As Head of Acumen’s Sustainability Practice, she advises organisations on navigating complex policy and reputational environments, aligning sustainability ambitions with commercial realities and stakeholder expectations. 

Siân has worked across consultancy, scale-ups, family-owned companies and S&P 500 corporations in sectors including industrial manufacturing, construction, electrical and lighting products, mobility, and agricultural biotechnology and has significant experience in sustainability and industrial policy, from eco-design and energy efficiency advocacy to the broader industrial transition. She has also supported organisations through crisis and reputation challenges, including media relations, community engagement and M&A, as well as internal and executive communications during periods of change and transformation. 

Before returning to consulting, Siân spent a decade inside a global building materials company, where she established and led the corporate affairs function and the Brussels Public Affairs office, co-led the corporate sustainability strategy and later joined the EMEA/APAC Board, taking on additional responsibility for HR and organisational development during a period of transformation. Most recently, she worked in an advisory capacity with a global mobility payments company, serving on its global management board. 

Multilingual and highly adept at building trusted relationships, Siân is known for bridging business and policy, translating complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies that inform decision-making. 

Originally from Wales, she has lived and worked in Brussels for more than twenty-five years. She is also a non-executive board member, leadership mentor and regular event moderator.