So you want to be a transport planner?
A question I answered at a school careers event at Kings Heath Boys School over the summer. Speaking to Year 10 students gearing up for their GCSEs, I explained my job, how I got into it, and the skills and qualifications needed. It was rewarding to engage with young people passionate about the future. Below, I’ve outlined some key takeaways from that conversation—and encourage anyone interested to send us a CV!
How did you discover transport planning?
Looking back, maybe it was inevitable—I’ve always loved cars and still do. But as a career, I more or less stumbled into it. After leaving Sheffield University I wasn’t excited by the graduate roles on offer.
Following some tough conversations with my parents, I focused on something that suited me better, an engineering consultancy role which would need a mix of logic, analysis, and creativity. This led me to transport planning. I took out a bank loan for a Masters in Transport Planning and Engineering at Leeds University—and haven’t looked back since.
How did your career progress?
I started at Birmingham City Council as a Technical Officer but moved to the private sector after a year, working at firms like Waterman, WSP, and Cameron Taylor where I was by then at Associate level. Each role gave me invaluable training and experience. In 2006, I took the leap and started my own business.
Any mentors that stand out?
Two people come to mind.
- Rod Stanley at Birmingham City Council, my first boss, was an eccentric but brilliant leader who gave me confidence from day one.
- Paul Campbell at Richborough was a client whose challenging project early in my career confirmed I’d chosen the right path. I remember it had a horrendous access problem and I had a very short timescale to find a solution, but we found a way to address all of the issues and the site got planning permission. And now, all these years later, it’s a very picturesque residential development with many people happily living there. Years later, his confidence in my work played a big role when I started Hub.
When and why did you set up Hub Transport Planning?
In 2006, Gerard and I launched Hub to deliver projects with fewer delays and less red tape than larger consultancies. We wanted to prioritise clients' needs while maintaining the same scope and scale of projects. Many of our team have joined for this reason—offering a different approach without compromising quality.
Any standout projects?
There are a number that have been very satisfying to work on – the significant redevelopment of the Wedgwood factory and visitor centre in Stoke-on-Trent for one, plus the associated residential development alongside it was a highlight. I also thoroughly enjoy undertaking expert witness work as part of Planning Appeals.
What do you enjoy most about the job?
No two projects are the same, requiring a mix of logic, creativity, and innovation. I love mentoring new talent and deep-diving into modelling software to fully understand—and troubleshoot—results.
Advice for newcomers?
- Listen and absorb knowledge from every project and not just the transport related information – you will learn far more than you might think.
- Focus on the detail – at some point, you will need to be able to explain why or how you’ve done something, either to colleagues, or to clients, or even a Planning Inspector; if you don’t know the detail, you can’t expect them to understand the result.
So for those inquisitive Year 10 students my advice was really to aim for the best they can in all subjects, regardless of whether they have a specific future career in mind, so they have as many options as possible.
You might not know that you want a certain career path to be open to you, but you should try to ensure that you don’t unknowingly close that door by not working hard enough now……