SPEAKERS

Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport

Norman joined the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet in October 2002 as Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, and from 2005 until 2006 as Shadow Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Secretary. In 2007 Norman rejoined the Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. 

In December 2007 Norman was promoted and appointed Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Transport by Nick Clegg.  This has allowed Norman to continue with his environmental interests by campaigning for batter and greener public transport.

Professor David Begg, Chief Executive, Transport Times (Chair)

David is currently a non executive board member of FirstGroup and BAA. He is an adviser to Government on High Speed Rail as well as an adviser to Greater Manchester Transport Executive.  He is a publisher of Transport Times magazine and visiting professor in sustainable transport at Plymouth University.  David has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University.  From 1999 until March 2005 David was Chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT), he also advised the Government during the preparation of the 1998 Integrated Transport White Paper and the Transport 10 Year Plan in 2000.

Steve Scrimshaw, Managing Director, Siemens Mobility Rolling Stock UK

Steve Scrimshaw is Managing Director for Siemens Rail Systems in the UK - a division of Siemens that employs some 700 people nationwide and maintains over 350 passenger trains.

In addition to his UK responsibilities, Steve has oversight responsibility for the Siemens rail businesses in the North West Europe Cluster Countries (Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and Poland). 

Steve began his career in the energy sector and worked for both Mitsui Babcock and Rolls-Royce Industrial Power Group, before joining Siemens 14 years ago. He became Managing Director of the Rail Systems division in May 2007 and since that time has been deeply involved in a number of high profile rail-related contracts (including Thameslink and Eurostar). 

In total Siemens has around 13000 UK employees, 8,000 of whom are involved in manufacturing and engineering. The company's extensive business activities support more than 54,000 jobs in the UK and generate around £1billion of UK exports.

Maria Eagle MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

In 1999, Maria was promoted from the backbenches and became Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Hutton, who was Minister of State at the Department of Health.  In 2001, Maria was promoted again and became Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions.  She became Minister for Children at the Department for Education and Skills in 2005, where she stayed until May 2006 when she moved to the Northern Ireland Office.  In June 2007, Maria moved to the Ministry of Justice as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and in October 2008 she assumed additional responsibility at the Government Equalities Office.  In June 2009,

Maria was promoted to Minister of State in both the Ministry of Justice and the Government Equalities Office.  Following the 2010 General Election, Maria became Shadow Solicitor General in the Shadow Justice Team. After the leadership election, Maria became Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.

Jim Steer, Director and Founder, Steer Davies Gleave (Chair)

Jim established the transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave in 1978 and was Managing Director until March 2002, when he took a secondment to the UK Strategic Rail Authority where he had responsibility for strategic planning. When the UK Strategic Rail Authority was wound up in 2005, Jim rejoined the Board of Steer Davies Gleave and he has since continued his consulting role.

Jim is Founder and Director of Greengauge 21, established to foster debate on a high speed rail network for the UK.

The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport

The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin, MP for Derbyshire Dales is the Secretary of State for Transport.

Born in 1957 in Staffordshire, he was educated first at Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School and then at Staffordshire College of Agriculture.

He worked for five years in agriculture, before following his father and grandfather – both coal miners – and going to work underground at the Littleton Colliery in Cannock.

He was elected MP for West Derbyshire in 1986 and was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Transport from 1989 to 1992. He became Chief Whip in May 2010 and was appointed Secretary of State for Transport in September 2012.

David Brown, Chief Executive, Go-Ahead Group

David Brown is Group Chief Executive of Go-Ahead.  Go-Ahead is one of the UK’s leading providers of quality public transport, employing 22,000 people and carrying over one billion passengers each year.  The Group recently started to expand in the USA.

For nearly five years, David was Managing Director for Surface Transport at Transport for London with a diverse range of responsibilities including London Buses, one of the world’s largest urban bus networks.  Managing London’s Red Route road network, congestion charging, taxi and private hire regulations, coach, river and mobility transport, cycling, including the introduction of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, walking road safety and transport policing and enforcement.

His transport career started in 1983 when he joined London Transport as a graduate trainee.


Sir Howard Berstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council

Sir Howard joined Manchester City Council as Junior Clerk in 1971, becoming Chief Executive in 1998. 

He has been Clerk to GMPTA/GMITA, (now TfGMC/Transport for Greater Manchester Committee) since the mid-1980's, where he has taken a leading role in introducing Metrolink, the first UK on-street public transport system, now significantly expanded and still expanding across the Greater Manchester conurbation.

He was Instrumental in the establishment, on 1 April 2011, of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, a new statutory body with powers to co-ordinate transport, economic development and regeneration and drive regional economic growth.  He continues to play a leading role within the CA.

He was involved in the establishment of Manchester Airport as a plc in the mid-1980’s and continues to play a lead role in its on-going expansion. 

Following the terrorist bombing of Manchester city centre in 1996, he became Chief Executive of Manchester Millennium Limited (1996 -1999), the public/private sector Task Force which was established to oversee the redesign and rebuilding of the area.

He was instrumental in securing Manchester as Host City for the XVII Commonwealth Games in 2002 and delivering what was then the largest multi-sport event ever hosted by the UK and the most successful games ever. 

External appointments include: member of the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authoirty from 2006 to 2008; Chairman of Blackpool Urban Regeneration Company 2008-2010. He is currently Chair of the West End Commission which is looking at the future of London’s West End.

Sir Howard was knighted for his services to Manchester in 2003.