The CIHT South West Emerging Professionals Group

The Emerging Professionals Group (EPG) is a sub-group of the CIHT South West for professionals starting out in the field as a student or apprentice, that are under 35 years of age or in the first 7 years of their careers in the sector.

The CIHT South West Emerging Professionals Group

We organise and host educational, networking and social events specifically for emerging professionals, as well as represent emerging professionals on the main CIHT South West committee. In 2024 we made the decision to merge the former Bristol and Exeter regional EPGs into one group for the South West. We are now made up of Emerging Professionals from Gloucestershire all the way down to Cornwall, including the islands and moors in between. 


 

Stay in touch

We advertise all of our events and socials on the CIHT South West Events page as well as our CIHT South West LinkedIn page. If you are a member of the CIHT, we will also send out invitations to you, based on the communications preferences you have set in your profile.  

If you would like to get in touch to find out more about the EPG and upcoming events, or to get involved, please email: southwest@ciht.org.uk.

 

The CIHT South West Emerging Professional Presentation Competition 2025

Showcase your skills, be the best in the South West

The CIHT South West region is excited to bring you the annual Emerging Professionals Presentation Competition! 

Being able to present effectively whilst engaging your audience and, subsequently, being able to field challenging technical questions is a key skill for those working in the transportation industry. Whether engaging stakeholders, making a case for investment, or presenting project outputs to your client group, presenting is an essential skill. 

If you’re an Emerging Professional in the first 7 years of your career, we’re keen to give you a platform to develop your presentation skills, and an opportunity for you to earn some kudos (and a prize!) at the same time. 

 


 

What’s involved?

We recognise that the highways and transportation industry in the South West is expansive, covering many sectors. This offers a wealth of potential. We don’t want to constrain the discussion - this is an opportunity for Emerging Professionals to shine and share their interests through presenting to judges and an audience.  

The CIHT South West Emerging Professional Presentation Competition will open for entries in November 2025. More information about the competition will be added in due course. 


The 2025 Emerging Professional Competition Winner & Finalists

Winner: Lottie Davies - Graduate Transport Planner, Stantec

You are here - simplifying wayfinding solutions to improve user experience

Navigating environments with conflicting directional signs can be incredibly frustrating. Despite the rise of various technological solutions, Lottie argues that effective wayfinding tools should emphasise simplicity and accessibility. As project budgets become tighter, it's essential to explore cost-effective strategies for integrating wayfinding materials into design schemes.

In her presentation, Lottie walks through a contemporary wayfinding challenge and propose a viable solution. Many wayfinding issues stem from a lack of cohesion and insufficient understanding of the users' needs. She showcases that, with the right techniques, wayfinding can be an integral aspect of project development rather than a last-minute addition.

Drawing from her experiences with confusing and outdated wayfinding systems, Lottie demonstrates how removing these barriers can enhance operational efficiency, cultivate a sense of place, and deliver significant cost benefits. Ultimately, effective wayfinding is not just beneficial but essential for improving user experience and project outcomes.

Finalist: Greg Neil - Assistant Transportation Planning Officer, Devon County Council

Reflecting on Five Years of Active Travel Funding: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Direction

The last 5 years have witnessed significant fluctuations in the national political, social and economic landscape. In Summer 2024 research was conducted asking individuals working in the transportation planning to reflect on delivering active travel schemes during this period from the introduction of the emergency active travel fund during the Covid-19 Pandemic through to the inauguration of the current administration.

This underlined the key opportunities and challenges of scheme delivery processes from inception to implementation. Experiences shared helped to develop a series of recommendations that if applied would be valuable in supporting the improvement of the bidding and delivery processes of active travel interventions. Since this research was carried out, the current government has revealed more about their transport policy. This has provided the opportunity to look back on the recommendations produced and explore how closely recent government actions align with the priorities of transportation planning sector. 

Finalist: Charlie Brown - Assistant Research, Devon County Council

The balance of art and science in measuring walkability

As humans, we’ve been walking for a while. Most people nowadays know how walking and wheeling benefit physical and mental health. Yet between the gradient of the path and the width of the path, who or what decides which is more important in defining whether you walk upon it or not? Deciding how certain walking schemes are prioritised and financed over others ought to be founded on a scientific and statistical approach. It’s on this logic that I aim to explore how walkability is measured.

Charlie's presentation delves into various quantitative methods, the theoretical framework of walkability, and data limitations in measuring walkability. It also addressed subjective aspects, such as aesthetic appeal and cultural factors, and discusses balancing functional requirements with these elements. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their level of mobility, can enjoy the benefits of walking in a safe and accessible environment.

 


 

Our Committee

Lauren Allington - CIHT South West EPG Co-Chair

Lauren is a Transportation Planning Officer at Devon County Council, joining the team in 2021 as a graduate. She works on a range of highways, active travel and multi-modal schemes across the county, and has supported the publication of the new Local Transport Plan. She has completed an MSc in Transportation Planning and Engineering with the University of Southampton and became co-chair of the CIHT South West EPG in May 2024. She was awarded CIHT Emerging Professional of the Year in 2025.  

Lydia Hyde - CIHT South West EPG Co-Chair

Lydia is a Principal Transport Planner at Pegasus Group, based in Bristol. With around four years experience, she has worked on a variety of schemes in a range of sectors. To Lydia, transport planning is about problem-solving to get the optimum solution.

Chelsea Randall – CIHT South West EPG Recruitment Officer

Chelsea joined Devon County Council as a Graduate Transport Planner in 2020 and has since worked on road and active travel schemes, covering strategy and policy as well as scheme development and delivery. She has been involved with the Emerging Professionals Group since 2024, and received Highly Commended in the ‘Emerging Professional Presentation Competition’ in the same year. She joined the CIHT South West committee in 2025, taking on the role of Secretary and also acts as Recruitment Officer on the EPG committee.

Lottie Davies – CIHT South West EPG Recruitment Officer

Lottie is a graduate Transport Planner at Stantec, based in Taunton. Having joined the industry in September 2024, Lottie has worked on a number of active travel and solar farm schemes, as well as having worked on water projects throughout their consultation periods. Having won the Emerging Professional Presentation Competition in 2025, Lottie has taken her proposal of accessible wayfinding tools and has been developing prototypes to make her idea a reality. Lottie looks forward to her outreach role within the EPG committee and hopes to draw in both degree level, and professional members.

Tom Lewis - CIHT South West EPG Educational Events Officer

Tom is a Graduate Transport Planner at Arup, with whom he has been with since the beginning of 2024. Tom has worked on a range of projects spanning regeneration masterplans, active travel corridors, and liveable neighbourhood schemes. Tom's role within the CIHT Southwest EPG, which he assumed in July 2024, is to organise and coordinate educational events for emerging professionals across the region to attend. 

Greg Neil - CIHT South West EPG Educational Events Officer

Greg joined Devon County Council as a graduate in September 2022 after completing a BSc in Geography and Planning at Cardiff University. He has since progressed to Assistant Transportation Planning Officer, being involved in strategy development including LCWIPs and Devon’s EV Charging Strategy. As well as delivering infrastructure for a variety of modes including active travel, highways and public transport. Alongside his job, Greg has recently completed an MSc in Transport Planning and Engineering at Southampton University, having graduated in Winter 2024.

Chris Huxtable – CIHT South West EPG Events Officer 

Chris is an assistant Transport Modeller based in WSP's Exeter office. He has worked on strategic and microsimuation models at local and national scales since 2022. Chris is currently completing an MSc in Transportation Planning and Engineering at the University of Southampton. 

 

                           

CIHT Membership

Membership of the CIHT is straightforward, and as an emerging professional, you will likely fall into one of these categories: 

  • If you are an apprentice, you qualify for free apprentice membership 

  • If you are a full-time student, you qualify for free student membership 

  • If you are a part-time student, you will qualify for discounted membership 

  • If you are in the first three years after graduation you will be eligible for graduate (GradCIHT) membership 

  • If you are more than three years into your career, you can join the institution as a member (MCIHT) 

Top tip: check with your employer to see if they cover the fees for membership to a professional institution!

However, you don’t have to be a member to attend most of our events. Some events may have reduced or free entry for members, but non-members are always welcome to join and see what the CIHT and the EPG has to offer.  

For more information, contact membership@ciht.org.uk.

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