Meet The 2026 Conference Speakers
Discover the experts, policymakers and practitioners sharing their knowledge at this year's National Rural Conference. New speakers, biographies and session details are being added regularly, so check back for the latest updates.
MONDAY | 10:00 - 11:30 | RURAL FAIR FUNDING
Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network
Kerry Booth is Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), where she leads the organisation’s work to champion rural communities across England.
With almost 20 years’ experience in local government and rural policy, she works closely with government, local authorities and national partners to promote fair funding, effective rural proofing and better outcomes for rural areas. A respected speaker and advocate, Kerry regularly shares her expertise on rural policy, public services and the future of rural communities.
Cllr Roger Phillips OBE, Chair, Rural Services Network
Cllr Roger Phillips OBE is Chair of the Rural Services Network and has served as a councillor with Herefordshire Council since 2011.
A former Leader of Herefordshire Council and former Chair of West Midlands Councils, he brings extensive experience in local government, regional leadership and public policy. Roger continues to represent rural interests through a range of national and local organisations, championing strong, sustainable communities and effective public services.
Jonathan Meek, Associate Director, Consulting, Grant Thornton UK LLP
Jonathan Meek is an Associate Director in Grant Thornton UK’s Public Sector Consulting practice, specialising in local government finance.
He is CIPFA qualified and a Chartered Management Consultant, with a strong track record supporting councils through local government reorganisation, including leading the financial analysis behind business cases in Essex and Suffolk. Jonathan currently leads Grant Thornton’s work for MHCLG and CIPFA on external assurance reviews of councils receiving Exceptional Financial Support.
Jonathan is also leading the Remoteness Review work with the Rural Services Network, examining the specific financial pressures facing rural and remote local authorities.
Nicola Mousley, Senior Manager, Grant Thornton UK LLP
Nicola is a postgraduate economist in Grant Thornton’s Economic Consulting team, with over 10 years’ experience in public sector economics.
Before joining Grant Thornton, Nicola worked as an Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, where she worked on local government funding analysis. She led the 2021 review of the Area Cost Adjustment and analysis into the additional costs faced by island and remote communities. Nicola also led the economic analysis underpinning proposals for the 2023 Local Government Reorganisation, assessing the economic case for change.
Nicola will be presenting alongside Jonathan Meek and Rishi Mandavia
Rishi Mandavia, Economic Consultant Manager, Grant Thornton UK LLP
Rishi is a skilled Economist with over 15 years of experience working in UK Government, Regulation and the Commercial sector and holds a Masters Level qualifications in Economic Regulation and Competition Policy.
He has extensive experience scrutinising Local Growth Fund proposals, assessing place‑based economic needs, and was previously the lead appraisal expert at MHCLG.
Rishi will be presenting alongside Jonathan Meek and Nicola Mousley
MONDAY | 13:30 - 15:30 | RURAL ECONOMY & REGENERATION
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter was elected as the MP for Suffolk Coastal in July 2024 and was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in July 2026.
Her ministerial responsibilities include rural communities, planning and land use, protected landscapes, climate adaptation, access to nature, biodiversity, tree planting and forestry, and green finance. She also has responsibility for several Defra-sponsored organisations, including Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
Before entering Parliament, Jenny worked in communications and led national campaigns covering areas including infrastructure, transport, social housing, fuel poverty and employment. She has also served as Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group, helping to shape and promote policy addressing the needs of rural communities.
Presentation details to be announced soon!
Matthew Gorton, Deputy Director, National Innovation Centre For Rural Enterprise (NICRE)
Matthew Gorton is a professor of marketing at Newcastle University and Deputy Director of the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE).
He recently completed a study with colleagues from NICRE on innovation in rural businesses for the Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC) and has undertaken various previous project into the performance of rural businesses in the UK.
Presentation: “Catalysing Rural Innovation and Growth”
Harriet Stainton, Growth Hub Delivery Manager (Interim),York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Harriet Stainton is an experienced business growth, strategy and delivery professional with over a decade of experience supporting organisations across the public, private and third sectors. She specialises in designing and delivering business support programmes that help SMEs innovate, adopt new technologies, improve productivity and achieve sustainable growth.
Working across York and North Yorkshire, Harriet has extensive experience engaging with businesses in rural, coastal and market town communities, ensuring support is accessible, relevant and responsive to local challenges and opportunities. She has led outreach, partnership development and service delivery across a diverse range of sectors, helping businesses access funding, develop growth strategies and navigate change.
Alongside her business support expertise, Harriet brings a strong background in marketing, digital transformation, operations and stakeholder engagement, with a particular passion for connecting businesses to the right support and driving inclusive economic growth across rural areas.
Presentation: “Meeting Businesses Where They Are: A Joined-Up Approach to Rural Outreach”
Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope, Dean and Professor of Education, Plymouth Marjon University | Cornwall
Professor (Dr) Tanya Ovenden-Hope is Dean of Place and Social Purpose and Professor of Education at Plymouth Marjon University and Plymouth Marjon University | Cornwall and Visiting Professor at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Tanya is a committed and enthusiastic educationalist with nearly four decades experience in schools, colleges and universities in England as a teacher, teacher educator, educational leader and educational researcher. Tanya is an elected BERA council member, Vice-President for the International Council in Education for Teaching (ICET) and Advisory Board Member for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund.
The author of numerous papers, reports, articles and books, Tanya is dedicated to exploring social inequity and educational disparity and has focused on the challenges for coastal, rural and small communities. Her latest research reports can be found at https://www.marjon.ac.uk/educational-isolation/, including The Pretty Poverty Report (2025), which calls for place-based equity in government measures of deprivation.
Presentation: “Pretty Poverty – Challenging Perceptions of Rural Deprivation”
TUESDAY | 10:00 - 12:00 | RURAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING & PLANNING
Cllr Rick Deller, Executive Board Member for Housing, Regulatory and Customer Services, Wychavon District Council
Originally from London, Rick now lives in Droitwich Spa and represents Dodderhill ward, which includes two villages and a large rural and farming community.
First elected in a by-election in August 2022 and re-elected in May 2023, Rick joined Wychavon’s Executive Board in October 2023.
His portfolio includes strategic housing, homelessness and rough sleeping, private sector housing, environmental health, licensing, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and customer services.
A key focus for Rick is Wychavon’s work to prevent homelessness, particularly through early intervention and practical support before residents reach crisis point. He is passionate about building on Wychavon’s preventative approach and working with partners to help residents maintain safe and secure homes.
Presentation: “From homelessness to Hope: Proactive homelessness prevention in a rural district”
Viv Griffiths, National Practice Development Manager, Homeless Link
Sharing insights from the Rural Homelessness Rough Sleeping Snapshot Pilot and what it reveals about hidden homelessness in rural communities.
Full biography coming soon!
Presentation: “Rural rough sleeping and homelessness: a hidden crisis and what we can do about it”
David Barrowcliff, Head of Communications & Technology, English Rural
David joined English Rural in 2019 and is Head of Communications & Technology. He has over 25 years’ experience across the media, research and technology sectors, including senior roles at WPP with Millward Brown and Kantar Media.
David leads the organisation’s internal and external communications, digital transformation and cyber security activity, and chairs the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) working group. He plays a key role in raising awareness of rural housing issues and ensuring English Rural’s mission, impact and risks are clearly understood by stakeholders and the public.
Presentation: “No More Excuses: Affordable Rural Housing Works”
(Joint presentation alongside Martin Collett)
Martin Collett, Chief Executive, English Rural
Martin Collett is Chief Executive of English Rural and has worked in the rural housing sector for around 20 years. A Corporate Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and a University of London graduate, Martin has dedicated his career to strengthening rural communities through the delivery of high‑quality, affordable homes.
Before becoming Chief Executive, Martin held a range of senior roles. He is current Co-Chair of the Rural Housing Network, helping to shape national policy and champion the needs of rural communities and has served as Chair of the Rural Housing Alliance. He now serves as a Trustee of CPRE, the countryside charity, contributing his expertise to national discussions on the future of rural England. Martin is also a Director of the Rural Services Network.
Passionate about a range of issues impacting rural England, Martin works closely with partners, local authorities, and community organisations to secure the long‑term sustainability of rural places. His leadership focuses on ensuring that rural homes are well‑designed, environmentally responsible, and rooted in the needs of local people.
Presentation: “No More Excuses: Affordable Rural Housing Works”
(Joint presentation alongside David Barrowcliff)
Rachel Fisher, Chief Executive, Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
Rachel Fisher is Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). She was most recently Deputy Director for Food at the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Prior to her position as Deputy Director for food strategy and security, Rachel spent five years as Deputy Director of land use policy, bringing in biodiversity net gain and the land use framework for England.
Rachel was also a deputy director in the Cities and Local Growth Unit, within the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where she led on regeneration investment and policy, from high streets to HS2 growth strategies.
An an associate member of the Institute since 2007, Rachel has expertise across the built environment, delivering policy change both in and outside of Government.
Presentation: “Planning for Town and Country: The New NPPF, Spatial Development Strategies and Rural Growth”
Nadine Trout, Assistant Chief Executive, Rural Services Network
Nadine has more than 20 years’ management experience working with rural communities across the voluntary and local government sectors, both in the UK and overseas.
She has led several award-winning council services, spanning tourism and marketing, economic development, locality working and commissioning. Nadine has also held directorships with destination management and community land trust organisations.
In her role as Assistant Chief Executive, Nadine supports the Rural Services Network’s diverse national membership and is passionate about delivering valued services to members and campaigning for a fair deal for rural communities.
Nadine will be facilitating the session discussion and audience Q&A.
TUESDAY | 13:30 - 15:30 | RURAL CONNECTIVITY
Sodhi Dhillon, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, BT Digital Voice & Migrations
Sodhi is an experienced Telecoms professional with over 30 years of wide-ranging experience within the industry. He has a background in electronics and data communications enabling him to be well placed to help drive BT’s transformation to all IP.
Graduating from Kingston University with a degree in Electronics and Business he started his career developing payphones to use smartcard technology for a cashless society well before smartphones even existed. Whilst at BT he has worked in a variety of roles developing world class products and solutions for both consumer and business customers.
Presentation: “BT Digital Home Phone Switch Over 2026 – The Final Year”
Cllr Ed Tyldesley, County Councillor, Devon County Council
Ed Tyldesley is the County Councillor for Chulmleigh and Landkey in very-rural North Devon, and a secondary school science teacher at Chulmleigh College. Also a parish councillor, he chairs Devon’s Local Government Reorganisation Scrutiny Committee and served as Vice Chair of Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny.
A former Cadet Force officer, he also chairs Chulmleigh Allotment Association and is a Chulmleigh Town Hall trustee. Through his various roles, Ed sees the importance of tackling rural digital exclusion, so that access to education, employment, and essential services does not depend on where people live or their digital confidence.
Presentation: “Digital Infrastructure – Challenges and solutions in Devon”
(Joint presentation alongside Matt Barrow)
Matt Barrow, Digital Infrastructure Lead, Devon County Council
Matt has worked in digital connectivity in rural areas for over 30 years, including digital training for CSV Media, running the largest network of telecentres in Europe on behalf of a consortium led by the University of Plymouth and managing audience trials for the European Space Agency’s first digital satellite TV & data project Starnet.
Over the last 11 years, Matt has worked for Devon County Council as part of the authority’s work on the Connecting Devon and Somerset partnership, working to deliver connectivity to some of the hardest to reach rural premises in the UK. This work has focussed on community engagement, project management, technical assurance, strategy, and has included attendance at over 1,500 parish council meetings.
Presentation: “Digital Infrastructure – Challenges and solutions in Devon”
(Joint presentation alongside Cllr Tyldesley)
Grant Black, CEO and Creative Director, Rural Media
Grant is a creative leader with experience across broadcast, digital, and charitable sectors. Passionate about how creativity and authentic storytelling can lead to meaningful social impact.
A committed advocate for emerging talent, supporting the next generation of diverse voices in media and the arts. Currently CEO and Creative Director of Rural Media and Rural Studios.
Presentation: “Digital Inclusion: The Rural Reality”
Alison Peaden, Library Services Manager, Northumberland County Council
Alison Peaden is a lifelong librarian, this is her second stint working for the county although she did venture as far south as Yorkshire in the intervening period. The challenges of delivering inclusive, community-focused library services in one of the most rural counties of England are many and varied, and she is proud of her team who continue to develop the service in the post pandemic environment.
The delivery of the Universal Library Offers of Reading, Culture and Creativity, Health and Wellbeing and Information and Digital is shaped by that local context and Alison is committed to galvanising the synergy of working with colleagues across the council and many local, regional and national organisations.
Presentation: “Libraries Advancing Digital Inclusion”
WEDNESDAY | 10:00 - 12:00 | RURAL NET ZERO
Neil Harrison, Director, Reheat
Neil co-founded Reheat in 2011 and has been at the forefront of the UK’s renewable heat sector for 20 years. Neil has specialised in the development and deployment of biomass heating, particularly where the benefits are not just lower carbon emissions and bills, but also where economic and environmental benefits are realised in the rural economy.
After completing an MSc in Rural Resource Management at Newcastle University in 1998, Neil worked in nature and science communication for the Peak District National Park and SNH (now Nature Scot) before moving to manage a forest industry extension programme in north east England. Since then, he’s worked for private sector organisations and government bodies across the UK and internationally, and for supranational bodies such as the EU, UNDP and Danish Refugee Council.
Neil is a passionate advocate for community energy and the role that biomass can play in decarbonisation of our energy system.
Presentation: “Bringing Rural Areas in from the Cold”
Kate Watson, Technical Lead, RISE
Kate is the RISE technical lead, managing a team of sustainability and retrofit specialists who provide end to end project retrofit guidance to housing providers and local authorities. Kate has worked in the sector for over 15 years, the last three in the current role.
Kate has direct experience of delivering retrofit at scale for social housing, local authority low income, private rental and the able to pay sector.
Presentation: “Acknowledging barriers to smooth, rural retrofit delivery”
Patrick Allcorn, Head of Local Net Zero, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Head of local net zero demonstration and delivery at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Patrick Allcorn has a remit for supporting local energy and climate change projects at community and local government level. The team run 4 programmes supporting the 2 sectors, including a net-zero accelerator programme which looks at place-based approaches to net zero.
He leads the work UKRI and EU are doing on place-based approaches and looks at how innovation can drive more effective blended finance and better solutions.
Prior to that, he led the development and delivery of the Domestic RHI and before being a civil servant worked as a journalist, teacher, and consultant and led TfL work on behaviour change in transport.
Presentation: “Net Zero in Rural Context”
Karl Rourke, Service Manager Street Lighting, Traffic Signals and CCTV, East Riding of Yorkshire Council
As Service Manager for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Street Lighting, Traffic Signals and CCTV department, Karl is responsible for an overall revenue, capital and energy budget of £6m.
Karl joined the East Riding of Yorkshire Council as a Street Lighting Engineer 16 years ago and has been the Service Manager for 5 years now. In that time, Karl has overseen a £12m column replacement programme, £10m energy reduction investment and an energy reduction of 17m units.
He has now also taken on the role of Project Manager for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Live Labs 2 project, Decarbonising the Highway, which actively looks at decarbonising and rationalising street lighting and lit sign provision.
Presentation: “Live Labs 2, Reframing Rural Lighting”
WEDNESDAY | 13:30 - 15:30 | RURAL MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Aran Prince-Tappe, Rural Policy Team Lead, Strategic Briefing and Contracts, DEFRA
Aran Prince-Tappé is the Programme Management lead in Defra’s Rural Communities team. His portfolio includes helping to implement the English Devolution and Community Empowerment act, which included “rural and coastal communities” as an area of competence for strategic authorities.
Aran has also previously worked in high profile policy areas for the Food Standards agency and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Prior to joining the Civil Service, he served as an adviser for Citizens Advice Scotland.
Presentation: “What English devolution means for rural communities”
Suzanne Wigmore, CEO Citizens Advice Wiltshire and Rural Issues Group Member
Suzanne has been the CEO of Wiltshire Citizens Advice for 10 years. She has previously worked in local and national government and with social housing providers across the South West of England. She has held a range of NED positions and is currently co- chair of the Wessex Water Vulnerability and Affordability Panel.
She has a slightly niche range of expertise including financial inclusion, Universal Credit and Council Tax, housing and homelessness and affordable credit as well as the provision of advice.
Suzanne is working with colleagues to drive some of the work across the local Citizens Advice network to recognise rural populations and the advice that they need to thrive. Suzanne lives in a village in rural South Somerset which has a choice of railway stations 11 or 18 miles away despite the line between London and Cornwall passing along the bottom of her garden!
Presentation: “You can’t eat the view – rural exclusion and the need for advice”
Ralph Hartley, Policy Officer, The Poverty Alliance
Ralph Hartley is a Policy Officer at the Poverty Alliance – Scotland’s anti-poverty network – where he has worked on the Taking Action on Rural Poverty project, connecting evidence and insight from people with lived experience of the rural poverty premium in Scotland into policy making and campaigning.
Presentation: “Taking action on Rural Poverty”
Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network
Kerry Booth is Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), where she leads the organisation’s work to champion rural communities across England.
With almost 20 years’ experience in local government and rural policy, she works closely with government, local authorities and national partners to promote fair funding, effective rural proofing and better outcomes for rural areas. A respected speaker and advocate, Kerry regularly shares her expertise on rural policy, public services and the future of rural communities.
Presentation: “Defra Taskforce and Future of Rural England Report”
THURSDAY | 10:00 - 12:00 | RURAL ACCESS TO HEALTH & CARE SERVICES
Gill O’Neill, Executive Director of Public Health, Northumberland County Council
Gill O’Neill is the Executive Director of Public Health and Communities at Northumberland County Council (statutory Director of Public Health). She took up the role in April 2023 and leads system-wide work to improve population health, reduce avoidable inequalities, and strengthen communities across Northumberland taking a preventative and asset based approach.
Alongside Public Health, Gill’s current leadership areas within Local Government encompass many statutory regulatory and enforcement functions such as Civil Contingencies, Public Protection, Coroner and Registrars, Community Safety and wider community services such as Customer Experience, Leisure and Libraries.
Gill began her career in the voluntary sector before progressing through a range of senior leadership roles within the NHS. During this time, she qualified as a Consultant in Public Health and is registered with the UK Public Health Register. Across both the NHS and local government, Gill has developed particular expertise in partnership working, strategic leadership, and large-scale system change programmes.
At a North East regional level, Gill is the DPH lead for Public Health Workforce and is the Faculty of Public Health Board Member for the North East.
Presentation: “Rural Realities – Northumberland Director of Public Health Report”
Professor Sheena Asthana, Director, Centre for Health Technology, Co-Director, Centre for Coastal Communities, University of Plymouth
Professor Sheena Asthana is Director of the Centre for Health Technology and the co-Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities, the first of its kind in the UK. Sheena’s research interests include the role of digital health technologies in supporting the shift towards prevention and health inequalities, with a particular focus on levelling up the coastal divide in health outcomes. Recent publications include Asthana, S., Agarwal, S. and Gibson, A. (2026). The Challenges Facing Britain’s Coastal Communities: a neglected divide. Policy Press.
Sheena has been an applicant on over £40 million of funded research projects, £30 million since 2020. Her impact case studies on the formula funding of public services were rated 4* in REFs 2014 and 2021.
She also has a strong track record with respect to senior level governance, non-executive directorships/committee memberships including the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Royal Society of Public Health and the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, and the Commission for Rural Communities.
Presentation: “Adult social care in rural and coastal communities”
(Presenting alongside Dr Clark)
Dr Michael Clark, Associate Professor Research Fellow, London School of Economics
Dr Clark has worked at local, regional and national levels undertaking and managing research. His research interests include mental health, dementia, public involvement in research, and arts and care.
He also has an interest in the interfaces between research, policy and practice and issues of implementation. Until recently, Michael was the Research Programme Manager for the NIHR School for Social Care Research and is an Associate Professorial Research Fellow within CPEC at LSE.
In addition, Dr Clark is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Long-term Care.
Expertise: Mental Health, Public Involvement in Research, Social Care.
Presentation: “Adult social care in rural and coastal communities”
(Presenting alongside Professor Asthana)
Abigail Reeve, Director, National Rural Touring Forum
Abigail Reeve is the Director of the National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF), an Arts Council England Investment Principles Support Organisation focussed on the development and amplification of the rural and small scale arts touring sector.
NRTF is a membership organisation and supports the work of the major rural and small scale programming partners across the UK, as well as artists and community promoters.
Abigail is a senior arts leader and has previously held positions with Birmingham Royal Ballet as Executive Producer, Rambert Grades as CEO, Arts Council England as Relationship Manager for Dance and Stopgap Dance Company, where she remains a trustee.
Presentation: “Culture, Wellbeing and Economics: A Rural Touring Story”
(Joint presentation alongside Dr Roy)
Dr Vishalakshi Roy, Associate Professor in Creative Industries, University of Warwick
Dr Vishalakshi Roy is an associate professor at the University of Warwick and director of cultural consultancy Earthen Lamp. Her research focusses on entrepreneurship, strategic planning and management of creative and cultural organisations.
She sits on the Cultural Leadership Board of the West Midlands Combined Authority and is a board member of Rural Touring Scheme, Live and Local.
Presentation: “Culture, Wellbeing and Economics: A Rural Touring Story”
(Joint presentation alongside Abigail Reeve)
THURSDAY | 13:30 - 15:30 | RURAL TRANSPORT
Cllr Christine Wise, Leader, Rutland County Council
Cllr Christine Wise is now Leader of Rutland County Council having previously been Portfolio Holder for Transport (among other things).
She is a passionate believer in making services accessible to everyone who might need them but particularly young people as they attempt to step out into independence. She has only been in Local Government a short while having previously been a school teacher, youth worker, motorcycle instructor, university academic, including senior leadership roles, and carer. She has lived in Rutland all her adult life and seen many changes in that time.
Presentation: “Connecting People and Places”
(Joint presentation alongside Victoria Nicholls)
Victoria Nicholls, Transport Service Manager, Rutland County Council
Victoria Nicholls is a transport leader with over 20 years of experience working across local authorities of varying size, geography and demographics, including an urban authority and three rural councils, most recently Rutland County Council. As Transport Services Manager, she provides strategic leadership for passenger transport services, overseeing the development, commissioning and delivery of transport solutions that improve accessibility and support thriving communities.
Throughout her career, Victoria has led multidisciplinary teams, managed complex transport programmes and developed strong partnerships with operators, elected members, schools, community organisations and regional stakeholders. She is passionate about creating sustainable transport networks that meet the needs of residents while delivering value, efficiency, and positive social outcomes.
A strong advocate for encouraging modal shift from an early age, Victoria believes that helping children and young people embrace active and sustainable travel habits is key to creating healthier communities and a more sustainable future. Her expertise spans transport planning, service transformation, network development and policy implementation, with particular insight into the opportunities and challenges facing rural areas. At the Rural Services Network Conference, she will share practical insights into delivering innovative transport solutions that help communities remain connected, resilient, and prosperous.
Presentation: “Connecting People and Places”
(Joint presentation alongside Cllr Wise)
Thomas Ableman, Founder, Freewheeling
Thomas Ableman is the founder of Freewheeling and spends his time helping transport authorities and operators make big decisions well, with a particular focus on integration. He advises several combined authorities, as well as operators and national bodies, on how to turn the ambition of integrated transport into working reality.
He originated Mini Switzerland, a demonstrator in the Hope Valley applying Swiss principles of timetable integration to a British rural railway, now funded by the Department for Transport.
His career spans National Express, Chiltern Railways (where he was Commercial Director), the demand-responsive startup Sn-ap (which he founded) and Transport for London (where he was Director of Strategy & Innovation). He writes and podcasts on transport at Freewheeling and has given evidence to the Transport Select Committee on integrated transport and to the London Assembly on autonomous vehicles.
Presentation: “Mini Switzerland: what the Swiss get right about rural transport and how we can learn from them”
Kit Allwinter, Senior Inspector, Active Travel England
Kit Allwinter has been involved in the design of transport systems and places for over 15 years. He seeks to maximise the quality of life for people by minimising the impact of transport and deliveries whilst maximising the accessibility, inclusivity and benefits of local and regional transport networks for both goods and people.
He currently works at Active Travel England, leading the development of guidance on the design and implementation of active travel networks in both rural and urban environments, as well as measuring the impact of street and space design on both the level of service for sustainable transport modes and quality of space for both local residents and businesses.
Kit has previously worked in the private sector, local and regional government to help create strategies, policies and places that embed high quality public environments into the everyday lives of people across the UK.
Presentation: “Rural Design Guide – high quality interventions to support rural walking, wheeling and cycling”
David Peinturier, Consultant, Catapult
David Peinturier is an Enterprise Support Consultant at Connected Places Catapult, where he leads the DfT Freight Innovation Cluster, convening 400 professionals across industry, academia, and government to enable innovation in transportation and logistics.
Connected Places Catapult – the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities and local growth – has worked in partnership with the DfT to address complex transportation challenges in rural and underserved areas.
Through the DfT rural transportation programme, David has pioneered community-centred approaches to innovation, facilitating partnerships between local councils and SMEs to ensure transportation solutions address genuine local needs. As a result, participating SMEs obtained further commercial contracts to keep trialling their solutions.
Presentation: “Integrating Transport Solutions in a Local Authority: what we learned so far from the Better Connected Strategy and the Department for Transport”
Thank You To This Year's National Rural Conference Supporters:
