Sponsor

Media Sponsor

Lucy Batley - Owner, Traction Industries

Lucy Batley is a tech innovator and AI strategist with 30 years’ experience shaping the digital landscape. She began her career with EMAP’s Best Young Designer award, going on to create digital experiences for Audi, MaxMara, Vespa and The Manic Street Preachers. She also designed the platform to launch the Euro into the UK for Barclays Bank SME division. Lucy later founded digital agencies and now leads Traction Industries, delivering AI-powered innovation. A respected thought leader and broker, she speaks widely on human–AI collaboration and is known for making complex tech accessible, creative and strategically impactful.

Giles Perkins - Head of Future Mobility, WSP & Programme Director, ADEPT Live Labs 2

Giles Perkins, the Programme Director for the £30m, 3-year Live Labs 2 initiative will participate in a Live Labs panel. Giles will detail how innovations in materials and services are being used to drive down the carbon associated with the enhancement, improvement, operation and maintenance of the local road network.

Lottie Davies - Graduate Transport Planner, Stantec

Lottie is a graduate transport planner at Stantec, having joined the team in September 2024. With a passion for accessible active travel, Lottie is committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable transportation solutions. She is excited to share her award winning presentation at the CIHT South West Conference 2025, focusing on making active travel more accessible for all.

Ben Clark - Associate Professor in Transport Planning, UWE Bristol

Ben is an Associate Professor in Transport Planning working in UWE Bristol's Centre for Transport & Society. His interests span the planning, design and regulation of healthy built environments (from settlement to street scale) that support safe and efficient forms of mobility (efficient in terms of energy, space, time and cost), for all groups in society. Ben has pioneered the use of quantitative and qualitative longitudinal methods to improve evidence and theories of (i) how and why travel behaviours change over the course of people's lives; and (ii) to understand the impact of travel and transport on different aspects of health and wellbeing. He is also involved in the evaluation of transport planning interventions.

Ben will be presenting on understanding the role of automation in the bus industry - Insights from an electric autonomous bus demonstration service.

Chelsea Randall - Transport Planning Officer, Devon County Council

Chelsea joined Devon County Council 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 CIHT South West Emerging Professionals Group since 2024, and joined the CIHT South West main committee in 2025, taking on the role of Secretary. In the past, Chelsea has run workshops based on Active Travel for the RTPI, for students at the University of Plymouth and for CIHT South West. 

Greg Neil - Assistant Transport Planning Officer, Devon County Council

Greg joined Devon County Council as a graduate in September 2022. He has since progressed to Transportation Planning Officer, working on strategy and business case development as well as delivery of infrastructure for a range of modes from active travel to public transport. Alongside his role at Devon, Greg has recently completed an MSc in Transport Planning and Engineering at Southampton University and joined the CIHT SW Emerging Professional Group Committee after partaking in the EPG Presentation Competition. He also recently found success at 22nd Annual Transport Practitioners’ Meeting , where he was awarded best paper by a young professional at the conference. 

Mike O’Dowd-Jones - Director for Infrastructure & Transport, Somerset Council

Mike is a Member of the Chartered Institution of Transportation Learned Society and Technical Strategy Board; having spent 6 years as the Southwest Regional representative on CIHT Council. Mike has led the development of CIHT policy advice for embedding carbon reduction into procurement processes, and policy positions on long term funding for local highways. Mike is also the lead officer for the 'Wessex Partnership' live labs 2 programme which is a collaboration between Somerset, Hampshire and Cornwall seeking to reduce carbon emissions by changing business as usual in local highways delivery.

Beth Lewis - Principal Engineer, Devon County Council

Beth is a chartered civil engineer and principal engineer at Devon County Council where she is currently leading the A382 scheme and the Live Labs 2 project.

Chris Harris - Principal Project Officer - Engineering, South Gloucestershire Council

Chris has over 20 years’ experience in road safety, highways engineering and project management, Chris is currently project manager for South Gloucestershire Council’s delivery of the Live Labs 2 (Greenprint) project.

Alice Searle - Environment Manager, M Group Highways

Alice has over five years of experience delivering environmental management across highways maintenance and infrastructure projects in the South-West. Alice is currently leading environmental efforts on the A382 project in South Devon, part of the pioneering LiveLabs2 initiative aimed at developing the UK’s first carbon negative highway.

Pete Boden - Project Manager, M Group Highways

Pete oversees infrastructure delivery across the South-West. With a strong track record in managing complex civil engineering projects, Pete has successfully led initiatives ranging from bridge deck replacements to transformative urban public realm schemes including the recent Firepool Northern Boulevards in Taunton. Pete is known for his collaborative approach and commitment to high-quality, sustainability and community-focused outcomes.