My start in the industry is quite strange because my background’s in politics. Most people in the sector tend to have an engineering or scientific background, but I did politics at university. Upon finishing, I worked for the Welsh Assembly before working for the UK Parliament for six years.  While working on a road safety bill for a parliamentarian, I completely fell in love with the subject matter, and within six months I was working for the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS). That started my trajectory into transport policy.

Making a difference

Working on road safety gives me a feeling of really making a difference. You can track the impact of what you’re doing at a high level. It’s a complex world where there’s a lot happening all the time, so it’s always moving, always doing its best to improve. Everybody involved in road safety is there because they really want to save lives – it’s as simple as that.

In my current role, I am Head of the Roads Policing Review within the Department for Transport, looking at policing of the roads in a review that’s expected to run up to 2025. Roads policing is extremely complex and has so many different levels. There are lots of stakeholders across the sector, including the police themselves. Different organisations own different aspects of the process so it’s really complex in terms of making sure that everybody understands the part they are playing.

Joining CIHT

I became a CIHT member when I was working at PACTS a number of years ago and have found being a member has been really beneficial. I’m a member of the Safety Wellbeing Panel, which is a great way to keep an eye on what’s going on from a sector point of view. Because I sit in a policy area space, it’s always been helpful to have access to engineers and designers, and different ways of thinking within the sector.

Having worked at PACTS and in Parliament, I have a background of understanding where a professional organisation such as CIHT sits and how important they are in terms of being a voice in the sector.

Gaining Fellowship

I’ve always known that CIHT membership is a good connection to other members and was prompted to apply for Fellowship by others. So I decided to go for it on the suggestion of peers and was really delighted that the application was accepted.

In terms of the future, the project I’m currently working on runs until 2025. Completing it and getting it right – really achieving what we want, not just as a Department but as a country – is my absolute focus at the moment. After that, it’s a case of letting the sector guide you. Transport policy moves so quickly and what’s going on now isn’t necessarily what’s going to be happening in two years time, so I’ll just keep aiming high to make a difference.

Next steps

Are you interested in becoming a CIHT Fellow? Find out how by clicking here.

or

Secure your place on the free webinar Thinking of becoming a Fellow - how and why you should apply (19 July 12:00-13:00 BST)

You can also discuss your options with our Membership team by contacting us at +44 (0)20 7336 1555 (Option 1), by email at membership@ciht.org.uk or using the membership enquiry form.  We are happy to help.

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