Celebrating 20 Years of Women in Transport | UKTram supports regional Anniversary events

On Wednesday 10^th September, UKTram visited the Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester for the Women in Transport Northwest hub 20^th Anniversary celebrations. 

As headline sponsor, UKTram joined members, partners and allies for the fantastic and inspiring event, which showcased both the progress made and the challenges that remain in creating a more inclusive transport sector. 

The event featured presentations from Joanna Hill (North West Regional Lead, Women in Transport), Rose McArthur (Director - Transport, Highways, Infrastructure and Climate Change, Cheshire West and Chester Council), Alison Davies (Project Director, Transpennine Route Upgrade), Eve Holt (Head of Policy and Implementation, Greater Manchester Combined Authority), Catriona Swanson (Strategic Lead for Sustainable Transport, Manchester City Council) and Anne-Marie Purcell (Strategic Advisor and Change Partner in Transformation and Transport at Transport for Greater Manchester). 

A central theme was the importance of moving beyond raising awareness to embedding real change. Joanna Hill captured the future ambition with the powerful observation that success will be when there is no longer a need for an organisation like Women in Transport – because inclusion is the norm. 

UKTram recently renewed its partnership with Women in Transport for the third year running, and this week also attended the West Midlands 20th Anniversary celebration in Birmingham on Thursday, 18th September. 

Hosted in partnership with Arup, Transport for West Midlands and West Midlands Metro, the event brought together another fantastic line-up of speakers including Chloe Williams (Regional Lead, Women in Transport and Associate Transport Planner, Arup), Fiona Kane (Delivery Director, TfWM), Dal Kalirai (Development Director, Women in Transport) Clare Sheffield (Director of Transport Planning, Arup), Michele Roberts (Head of Transport Skills, TfWM) and Sandeep Kaur Dulay (Deputy Regional Lead, Women in Transport and Project Manager, West Midlands Metro). Their contributions further underlined the importance of representation and skills development in driving inclusion across the transport sector. A further key takeaway from all of the speakers was the importance of mentoring, and how their journeys had been supported through mentoring schemes. 

Attending on behalf of UKTram, Chelsea Branch, UKTram Digital Marketing and Communications Manager, said: 

“Thoroughly enjoyed hearing the inspiring personal journeys and great to share some of the work UKTram has been doing. What stood out most was how each speaker shared their path and passion to more senior roles. The pride and passion they had in their journeys was motivating.” 

Events like these highlight the power of sharing experiences across regions and disciplines. They serve as a reminder of the progress being made and the challenges still to address. We look forward to continuing our partnership and the collective commitment to a more inclusive future for transport.