What is your role on the board?
Yorkshire Hub Lead
How long have you been involved with Women in Transport?
I joined as a member in 2015
Why did you join Women in Transport?
I wanted to grow my network across Transport, I had originally started off in Rail, then moved across to Community Transport. I had recently been divorced and wanted to grow my professional and personal network.
What do you enjoy most about being part of Women in Transport?
When I meet people who are members, they are always incredibly lovely, never met anyone who didn't add something to my overall experience, knowledge or view point.
Current job title?
Founder
What does your current job involve?
Consulting for clients across the Transport sector in Stakeholder Engagement, New Business Development, Marketing and Communications and Business Planning and Performance.
What's the best thing about your job?
I love meeting new people, working with teams and building new networks. I am often parachuted in when projects are behind or not progressing, so I am mostly delivery and final deadline focused, which I enjoy getting the job done.
How did you become involved in the transport industry?
My first experience of transport was having the idea to open a social enterprise garage. This was a struggle from the beginning, not only in gaining funding and support from local and national sources but firstly convincing my then charity CEO to take a risk on a then 24-year-old me and a gaggle of 15 young boys; it paid off and we raised £250,000 in the first year.
I then spent five years working for the National Railway Museum. During this time I met truly inspirational transportation professionals and knew this was an area of work that I not only enjoyed but I felt passionate about.
I then became Director of External Relations of the Community Transport Association and I knew how much I loved Transport and its connection to people and place. I then started my consultancy in March 2019, working with colleagues and friends I had worked alongside and with for those ten years.
What do you like about working in transport?
Key to my business consulting success has been connecting people an ideas. I love Transport as an enabler and public transport as a lifeline for everyone to stay connected to each and do what they need to do for work, play and family. I feel that working in Transport is brilliant but I do get a lot of requests from family members to sort the train timetables out, which I regularly say is nothing to do with me... BUT in their minds I am that Train girl.
What are you most proud of?
My journey, it hasn't been easy. I am where and who I am today, because of my amazing soon to be husband and four beautiful children. I have to pinch myself that I have successfully operated by own business for over five years this March and I have never been out of contract.
I grew up on a South East London council estate, my grandparents who I spent a lot of time with, managed a community shop and centre where they delivered a twice-daily club for old aged pensioners on a voluntary basis. My Nan organised events as well as subsidised trips to the seaside, which were open to the whole community.
My overriding memory is being around seven and excited that everyone had got up early and filled the pavements of London. Then the sense of relief as we all clambered on the buses and the singing got under way. Strangers becoming new friends over a shared giggle and the passing of sandwiches between aisles. It always shocked me that in some cases this was the first time people I knew had ever seen the sea, or travelled on a bus. My family never saw this as a duty but something they just had to do.
Growing up it was normal that everyone knew my family by name and would stop them in the street to thank them. My family were at the heart of where I was from, and the community was supported by them, stayed mobile because of them and made new friends beside them.
Sadly my grandfather passed away when I was twelve. My grandmother carried on the club alone and only stopped volunteering last year; she said turning 89 that it was maybe time for someone else to have a go and that she was due a rest. She is still alive and turned 98 in February this year.
I truly believe that Transport is an enabler and it makes me proud that I am making my own story that one day my children may say that I inspired them.
Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to professional development and networking opportunities. We very much welcome guest blogs from our members - a great way to share the incredible diversity of opportunity in transport, raise your profile and connect with our community. Join us today.
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