Meet the team

I joined the Modeshift Executive Board in 2008 and was appointed Vice-Chair in 2011. I then became Modeshift’s first member of staff in March 2015 as the National STARS Manager, and now lead our Modeshift Delivery Team as Chief Operating Officer.

Place of work: 

I work out of our Darlington office on the East Coast Mainline – which is awesome for getting out and about to meet our Members across the country.

Career history:

I’ve worked in transport for over 20-years in a career spanning local and national Government, and now on a national level for Modeshift.  Having studied Physical Activity, Exercise at Health and Leeds Metropolitan University, I first started out as a Travel Awareness Trainer at Wakefield Council, delivering pedestrian training in the Winter months, and National Standard Cycle Training (now Bikeability) in the Summer.

From 2007 to 2015 I worked on Darlington Borough Council’s Local Motion project which was set up as part of the Department for Transport’s Sustainable Travel Demonstration Towns initiative. During this time, I also spent two years as the Department for Transport’s Regional School Travel Advisor for the North East and Yorkshire & The Humber regions as part of the Travelling to School Initiative (TTSI).

When the opportunity came up for Modeshift to employ its own members of staff I jumped at the chance and have not looked back since!

Why did you join Modeshift:

Modeshift doesn’t feel like work, it’s just part of who I am now.

I was asked to join the Board back in 2008 when I worked on the Darlington Borough Council Local Motion project, which was all about trialling new approaches to growing levels of walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport use. Modeshift just made sense to me as a place to disseminate the best practice from Darlington, and to be able to make a difference on a much bigger scale. Little did I know at the time what it would lead to. It has been simply awesome to see the organisation grow over the years and to collaborate with people across the globe who are passionate about enhancing everyday journeys.

Outside of Modeshift:

It used to play lots of Rugby League but now as a father or two, time off work generally involves transporting and watching the kids at various football, swimming, gymnastics and diving activities. That said, when Tottenham Hotspur are on the TV, that’s my one and only time to have the TV remote and everything else stops!