Councillor Susan Aitken
Leader
Glasgow City Council

Susan Aitken became Leader of Glasgow City Council when the SNP became the largest party on the Council and formed a minority administration in May 2017. She was elected as a councillor for the Langside ward, where she lives, in 2012 and has been leader of the SNP group since 2014, having previously served as the group spokesperson on health and social care. She is the SNP's national Local Government Convener.

Before being elected, Susan worked in a variety of policy and research roles in the Scottish Parliament and the third sector, and as a freelance writer and editor specialising in health and social care policy. She grew up in Biggar in South Lanarkshire, moved to Glasgow aged 17 and is a graduate of both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.

Andrew Haines
Chief Executive
Network Rail

Andrew Haines was appointed as Chief Executive and Board member of Network Rail in August 2018. Prior to this, he served as Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority following a wide-ranging career in the rail industry, which included roles as Managing Director of South West Trains, and Managing Director of the Rail Division for First Group plc.

Prof. David Begg (Session Chair)
Chief Executive, Transport Times
Chairman, Glasgow Connectivity Commission

Prof David Begg is Chief Executive of Portobello Partnership Ltd which specialises in strategic advice to clients in the transport sector; publishes Transport Times online blogs and runs a series of transport best practice awards in conjunction with the Department for Transport, Transport Scotland, Transport for London and Transport for the North.

He is a non-executive board member of Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd, is a member of the Cubic Transportation Systems' Advisory Board and chairs EAMS Group.

From 1999 to 2005 he chaired the Government's Commission for Integrated Transport which was set up to advise the Government on transport policy and to monitor performance. He was a board member of Transport for London from 2000 to 2006 before joining Tube Lines as chairman (2006-2010). He was a non-executive director of the Strategic Rail Authority and before that British Rail. From 2005-2014 David was a Non-Executive Director of First Group Ltd.

Before moving to London he was Professor of Transport Policy at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. He is a visiting professor in Transport at Plymouth University. In the 1990s he was the political lead on transport on Lothian Region and then the City of Edinburgh councils.

Jeremy Bloom
Strategy and Programme Director
Transport for the North

Jeremy Bloom has joined Transport for the North as Strategy and Programme Director, where he is responsible for leading the implementation of the North's Strategic Transport Plan. He joined from Highways England, where he was Network Planning Director, leading the future development of the Strategic Road Network. He has previous experience leading the development and delivery of major investment programmes for Highways England in the North of England and spent the first half of his career in the rail sector, in project development, strategy and investment planning for London Underground, Network Rail and in transport consultancy. Jeremy is an enthusiastic advocate for transformational improvements to transport in the North and for an integrated, multimodal approach.

Prof. Brian Evans
Professor of Urbanism+Landscape
Mackintosh School of Architecture

Brian Mark Evans is Professor of Urbanism and Landscape at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art, director of the Glasgow Urban Laboratory and in 2019 was invited to become City Urbanist for Glasgow. He was previously Artistic Professor of Urban Design & Planning at Chalmers School of Architecture in Gothenburg and from 1990-2015 was a partner with Gillespies LLP, the international design practice where he developed the disciplines of landscape planning and urban design and pioneered ecological urbanism. From 2005 until 2010 he was Deputy Chair & Chair of Design Review with Architecture & Design Scotland and before that an Enabler with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) London. He is a founding Director and Academician of the Academy of Urbanism, London. Dr. Evans is author, editor and contributor to numerous books and articles and speaks widely on the contemporary and future city, urbanism, urban design and landscape planning.

Giles Fearnley
Managing Director – UK Bus
FirstGroup

Giles Fearnley has been Managing Director of First Group's UK Bus Division since February 2011.

In 1991 he led a management buy-out of Blazefield Holdings which operated bus networks principally across Yorkshire and Lancashire. He remained as Chief Executive for two years following the group's sale to Transdev plc in 2006. In the mid 90's Giles took a "sabbatical" from the bus industry into rail and was one of the founders of Prism Rail plc, which operated four UK passenger rail franchises. He was appointed as Chief Executive and led the Group prior to the sale in 2000 to National Express. He then served as Chairman of Grand Central, the open access rail operator, prior to its sale to BB in 2011.

At various times, Giles has served as Chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies and President and then Chairman until 2011, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Hugh Gillies
Director of Roads
Transport Scotland

Hugh is a Senior Civil Servant with some 30 years of experience in roads and transportation, the last 15 of which have been with Transport Scotland (TS). Since March 2016 he has been part of TS's senior management team.

He has qualified both as a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Transport Planning Professional as well as being a member of the Institution of Highways and Transportation

He has day to day responsibility for the safe operation and maintenance of Scotland's trunk road network, (TRN). Beyond this, Hugh's role is diverse, helping to deliver the Scottish Government's policies and strategic outcomes

Prior to joining Transport Scotland his career included posts in both the private and public sectors. Past employers include Fairhurst, Nottinghamshire CC, MVA, Renfrewshire and Glasgow City Councils.

Fraser Grieve
Highlands & Islands Regional Director
SCDI

Fraser has headed up the Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI) operations in the Highlands & Islands since January 2012 and leads on several policy areas, particularly around the economy in rural areas, transport, tourism, and food and drink. Before moving to SCDI, Fraser spent the previous decade working in politics where he managed conferences, corporate communications, and latterly heading up the parliamentary operations of former MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Sir Danny Alexander.

Fraser sits on the Inverness & Highland City-Region Deal Programme Board, the Moray Growth Deal Bid Board, the Highlands & Islands Regional Skills Investment Board, and is an adviser to the regional transport partnership Hitrans. He is chair of SSE's Beatrice Partnership Fund Panel and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Derek Halden (Session Chair)
Director DHC Loop Connections and Secretary of Scotland's transport think tank STSg

After 10 years in the civil service with the Scottish Office and Transport Research Laboratory, in 1996 Derek Halden founded DHC and subsequently Loop Connections as consultancy and technology businesses making connections between people and places. As these concepts have become more central to transport policy in the 23 years since then DHC Loop Connections has gained an international reputation providing leading edge analysis, data and technology solutions for clients principally in Europe and Australasia. Derek has written some of the most widely read guides to the future of transport and has written a regular column for Transport Times since 2015.

Richard Hall
Managing Director
Lothian Buses

Richard Hall joined Lothian at the start of 2016 as Managing Director. Lothian's bus services carry over 2.3 million customers every week and in 2017 the business generated a turnover of £153 million.

Under Richard's direction, the business continues to be one of Edinburgh's largest employers and was recognised as Scottish Public Transport Operator of the Year in 2018.

An innovative and customer focused leader, highlights of his tenure so far include the introduction of a robust People function for the business, the expansion of bus services into East and West Lothian and implementation of Lothian's environmental vehicle strategy in line with Scottish government targets to reduce carbon emissions.

Richard has enjoyed an extensive and varied career in the bus industry working for major transport operators notably Arriva, Stagecoach and RATP in London and is currently Chair of CPT Scotland (Confederation of Passenger Transport).

Patrick Harvie MSP
Co-Convenor of the Scottish Green Party
MSP for Glasgow

Patrick is Co-Convenor of the Scottish Green Party and has been an MSP since 2003. He is a member of Holyrood's Finance and Standards committees.

In previous sessions of Parliament he served on the Economy, Communities and Transport committees. He has been involved in a range of issues, from asylum and civil liberties to sexual health and food policy, and was a prominent campaigner for Yes during the independence referendum.

In the last session of Parliament he led the Better Buses public transport campaign, the Rent Rights housing campaign (resulting in rent controls being included in legislation) and he took forward Margo MacDonald's Assisted Suicide Bill. He lives in Glasgow and is a big fan of craft ale.

Dr George Hazel OBE
Board Member and Advisor
Scottish MaaS Alliance

Dr Hazel is a Director of the George Hazel Consultancy, an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology and Chair of the Advisory Panel for the Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University.

He was a member of the UK Secretary of State for Transport's Steering Group for National Road User Charging, chair of the World Roads Congress C10 Committee, researching urban areas and transport, chair of the Scottish Public Policy Unit's Transport Commission and Chair of Transport 2000's Forum on Revitalising Communities on Main Roads. In January 2005 he was awarded the OBE for services to transport. He is an expert on towns and city regions and has written a book on Making Cities Work, published by Wiley.

Previously he was Professor of Transport Policy at the Centre for Transport Policy where he looked after the consultancy business. From 1996 to 1999 he was Director of City Development for the City of Edinburgh Council responsible for planning, economic development, transportation and property.

Alex Hynes
Managing Director
Scotrail Alliance

Alex Hynes was appointed Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance on 1 June 2017.

Before joining the ScotRail Alliance, Alex was Managing Director of the Northern franchise for three and a half years where he successfully delivered their best ever customer satisfaction scores as well as record levels of employee engagement.

An experienced transport professional, Alex has almost 20 years of industry experience and a proven track record delivering rail improvement and investment programmes.

Having spent his early career as a consultant for Halcrow Fox, Alex worked with the Office of Rail Regulation before joining the Go-ahead Group in 2005 as Strategic Planning Manager and, in 2007, as Commercial Director at London Midland, and finally, as Managing Director – Rail Development.

Originally from Manchester, Alex serves on the board of The Institution of Railway Operators and North of England Excellence.

Alison Irvine
Head of Strategic Transport Planning
Transport Scotland

Alison has worked in Transport Scotland for ten years after spending eighteen years working in the consultancy sector as a transport planner. She is a graduate from the University of Strathclyde and a Chartered Civil Engineer.

As Director of Transport Strategy and Analysis she is responsible for the development of the new National Transport Strategy and setting the investment priorities for transport across Scotland through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. She is responsible for providing strategic transport planning advice to Scottish Ministers and assisting Local Authorities plan for the future through the development plan process and policy development and engagement around city and regional growth deals.

Her remit also includes providing analysis and research to support strategy and policy development which includes maintaining and publication transport statistics, transport demand forecasting, transport appraisal guidance as well as transport research. This includes the development of business cases and post opening evaluation for Scottish Minister's trunk road and rail investment programmes

She has responsibility for taking the Transport Bill through parliament and policy integration across Transport Scotland including the agency's preparation for Brexit, future mobility and transport's contribution to inclusive economic growth. She is leading Transport Scotland's climate change policy, overseeing associated policy development and reporting for the Climate Change Plan and has oversight of the statutory and institutional frameworks for transport including the Regional Transport Partnerships and Scottish Roadworks Commissioner.

Paul Lawrence
Executive Director for Place
City of Edinburgh Council

Paul Lawrence is the Executive Director for Place at the City of Edinburgh Council. His responsibilities include Development and Investment, Environment, Culture, Housing, Planning, Regulatory Services and Transport.

Paul joined the Council in late 2015. Prior to this, he was the Corporate Director for Place at Stockport Council – one of the ten local authorities in the Greater Manchester city region, with a similar range of responsibilities.

Paul started his working life in the cultural sector, before being appointed as Head of Cultural and Economic Development at Newcastle City Council in 2000. He later became Assistant Chief Executive with responsibility for Economic Development, City Region Partnerships and Corporate Communications.

Tim Roberts
Lead on Business Development for UK Rail
Cubic

Tim Roberts leads on Business Development for UK Rail in Cubic Transportation with particular emphasis on working with the Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group to realise the development and introduction of new technologies in the areas of ticketing and revenue protection. Prior to Cubic, Tim comes from an Aerospace background having worked in R&D in previous organisations and then moving into a Business Development and Account Management roles within QinetiQ for a number of years.

Ross Martin (Session Chair)
Economic Agitator & Adviser on Regional Economies
@ScotIncGrowth and Member, Glasgow Connectivity Commission

Ross works with governments at all levels to design, develop and deliver #InclusiveGrowth - combining the power of economic value and social purpose. To achieve these socio-economic aims, Ross agitates for meaningful collaboration between, and across, the public, private & social sectors to ensure the creation, nurture and sustainability of Inclusive Growth.

Ross has a keen eye for critical linkages between People and Place, thus enabling a range of initiatives to flourish in this important interface, e.g. co-creating Adopt an Intern, Driving the rapid expansion of Business Improvement Districts, and currently delivering a new form of Regional Economic Leadership across Scotland.

Ross has played a variety of roles in advisory, executive and thought-leadership capacities across the private, public and social spheres of the economy, with the consistent thread of strengthening Scotland's socio-economic resilience, with a current focus on two of the core characteristics of the emerging economy: low carbon infrastructure, being driven by data and digital technology.

Paul Minto
Partner - Energy and Utilities
Addleshaw Goddard

Paul Minto is an Energy and Utilities Partner in Addleshaw Goddard's specialist Infrastructure, Projects and Energy team. His areas of expertise include energy, carbon and climate change law, public procurement, and planning matters relating to energy projects, electricity contracts, and the emerging electric vehicles industry. Paul's experience includes working alongside onshore and offshore renewable energy developers, banks, utilities, landowners, public authorities, EV developers, energy services companies and investors.

Derek Provan
CEO
AGS Airports

Born in Glasgow and with 20 year's experience in Aviation Derek has held various Director roles in UK and international Airports. Derek joined Heathrow in 2013 from his position as Managing Director at Aberdeen International Airport.

He has a BSc in Fire Risk Engineering, Master's Degrees in Risk Management and Business Management and Research. In his recent role of Future Heathrow, Director, he was responsible for the future design of an expanded Heathrow to include surface access, terminals, airfield and airspace design and the creation of Heathrow's master plan and future operating models. Further to being Heathrow's Interim Chief Operating Officer, Derek took up the role of CEO of AGS Airports in April.

Derek is active in numerous aviation forums within the UK and is a founding member of the Performance Based Regulation Industry Group working with the CAA to ensure that the industry forms an integral part of future regulation in UK Aviation.

Cllr Anna Richardson
City Convener for Sustainability & Carbon Reduction
Glasgow City Council

Anna Richardson graduated with an MA (hons) in Geography in 2001, and an MSc in Human Resources in 2005, as well as spending several years working in the public sector, in administrative roles. She has since gained an HND in Antenatal Education, and works part time for the national parenting charity, NCT.

She was elected as a councillor in Langside, Glasgow in 2015, and re-elected in 2017. She currently holds the position of City Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction.

Anna also has three school aged children.

Elaine Seagriff
Director of Transport Planning
Jacobs

Elaine Seagriff is Director of Transport Planning with Jacobs, based in London, where she leads the UK national transport strategy and policy team to help shape strategic policy and transport planning initiatives in city regions. In this capacity she has been advising a number of the devolved transport authorities in the UK and overseas city regions on their transport strategy and policies and on integrated transport authority responsibilities and governance.

Prior to this, apart from a short time in the U.S. working on southern California's light rail strategy, Elaine has been a mainstay in London's planning and provision of transportation efforts for more than 25 years, where she has taken a truly integrated approach to London's development. Prior to joining CH2M then Jacobs in 2017 Elaine served as Head of Transport Policy and Strategy for Transport for London where she led the development and delivery of TfL's strategic policy covering environmental, sustainability and transport policy, service planning related to equalities and inclusion policy and impact assessments. She was responsible for developing and executing the Mayor's transport strategy and the transport elements of the Mayor's spatial development plan for the transport system for the next 20 years, with a particular focus on strategies and case making to improve the quality of the environment for successful regions.

In addition to earning an MSc in Urban Development at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, and BSc (Hons) in Geography at the University of Glasgow, Elaine is a founding member of the UK's Transport Planning Society and served as its Chair and has been active internationally through her roles as Commissioner on Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP)'s Sustainable Development Commission and currently as a Commissioner of the UK's Travel Demand Commission and Board member of the Association of European Transport (AET).

Helen Wylde
Chief Engagement Officer
Connected Places Catapult

Helen will be responsible for the business and relationship development team at the TSC, leading in the forging of innovative collaborations and partnerships with industry, academia and government in the transport sector. During her career, Helen has specialised in shaping and delivering high-yield transformation, start-up, turnaround and growth strategies in both smaller companies and FTSE 100 players across the Telecommunications, Technology, Financial Services, Retail and Logistics arenas.