Cymru Wales Who's Who

Here you will find details of our committee.

Question?

Get in touch with the local committee e: wales@ciht.org.uk

Gareth Smith

Chair, CIHT Cymru Wales

Gareth is the Regional Chair of CIHT Cymru Wales. He has been a CIHT committee member since 2018. Gareth has 6 years’ experience working in consulting engineering. He currently works for Mott MacDonald as a Civil Engineer.

In June 2019, Gareth successfully graduated with a first class BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, that same year Gareth also won CIHT’s Emerging Professional Of The Year. In his spare time, additional to volunteering with the CIHT, Gareth is also a STEM Ambassador and Social Media officer for his home town’s community club.

 

Daniel McCool

Honorary Secretary, CIHT Cymru Wales

Daniel is a transport planner specialising in public transport and shared mobility. He is passionate about improving integration between transport modes to improve user experience, reduce car reliance, create better places, and address the climate emergency. 

He is a Chartered Transport Planning Professional (CTPP) and has been part of the Cymru Wales committee since 2012, previously serving as Chair of the Young Professionals Committee. Daniel enjoys mentoring colleagues, promoting professional development and encouraging knowledge sharing through CPD and networking events.

Claudia Currie

Honorary Treasurer, CIHT Cymru Wales

More than 30 years’ transport planning across a wide range of transportation projects within the field of civil engineering across Wales, the UK regions and overseas. Successfully delivering transport planning services to Welsh Government, Highways England, Local Authorities and private sector clients throughout the UK and overseas. 

Transport assessments for major public and private developments, major highway and improvement schemes, collision investigation and Road Safety Audit, sustainable travel initiatives including; safe routes, cycle feasibility assessments, traffic calming measures and parking strategies. Considerable experience in scheme appraisal from objective setting through to final environment and economic evaluation. Delivering schemes through Public Inquiry, Draft Consent Order Examinations, Oral Hearings and Appeals as the Transport Planning, Traffic and Economic Expert Witness and LDP advocate. Considerable experience as a project and bid manager with a proven ability of effectively managing projects and major tenders requiring multi-disciplinary team input.

• Chairman (2003/2004), Secretary (1998 to 2007), Treasurer (2008 to date) and Committee Member (1997 onwards) to the South Wales Branch of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and newly formed Cymru Wales Region.
• Member of Editorial Panel of ICE Member journal (2018 to date) 
• Elected as South Wales member of Council for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (2004 to 2010) and elected by the membership as an Ordinary Member of Council in 2011-2014 and again in 2015-2020.
• Member of the Self-Assessment Panel for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation(2018 to date) reviewing members academic and training records together with auditing Professional Reviews
• Member of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation Education Board (2005 to 2013 and 2015 to date).
• Chairman of the Working Party that developed the Transport Planning Professional qualification for Transport Planners. Founder Chairman and Member of the Professional Standards Committee for TPP and TPP Professional Reviewer for both Standard and Senior Routes (2008 to date)
• Panel member establishing a graduate training scheme for CIHT and employers for both Engineers and Transport Planners (2017 to 2019).
• Member of the Engineering Professional Standards Panel for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (2010 to 2018), overseeing the routes to professional registration with the Engineering Council.
• Previous member of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation National Transport Planning and Policy Board (2001 to 2004).
• Previous member of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation National Network and Infrastructure Management Board (2004-2005)

 

Alex Welch

Vice Chair, CIHT Cymru Wales

Alex has been a member of CIHT for over 10 years, serving on the CIHT Cymru Wales committee since 2017 in a variety of officer roles. He is a Chartered Transport Planner with over 20 years experience within Consultancy, Local Authority Government and National Government throughout the UK, the Channel Islands, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Julie Hunt

Regional Representative to Council, CIHT Cymru Wales

Julie has been a member of CIHT since 2006 and has served on the CIHT Cymru Wales committee for over 7 years. She is a past chair having led the committee from 2020 to 2022. Julie Hunt is Associate Director of Highways in Jacobs consultants. She has nearly 30 years’ experience of working on the development of highway projects. These including Welsh trunk road schemes A487 Dyfi Bridge, A465 Section 2 Gilwern to Brynmawr, A487 Porthmadog Bypass and A470 Dolwyddelan to Pont-yr-Afanc.

She has managed scheme appraisal using Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) and has helped deliver schemes through the statutory process including an expert witness role. Julie was on the Welsh Roads Review Panel and is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist. She is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. She also sits on the CIHT Learned Society and Technical Strategy Board and the Membership and Members Services Strategy Board.

Kerry Evans

Regional Representative to Council, CIHT Cymru Wales

Kerry is a Fellow of the CIHT and the Regional Representative to Council for the Cymru Wales region. Kerry was the last chair of the North Wales Branch of the CIHT (2014) and first Chair of the Cymru Wales Region (2015). In 2014 Kerry organised the first Awards event for the CIHT in Wales which continues to be a great success celebrating the achievements of transportation projects in the Cymru Wales region.

Kerry has over 15 years experience in the transportation industry as a consultant and is currently employed by Eco-Scope in the Conwy Valley. Her primary role is the Operations Manager of the A55 DBFO section in North Wales which extends west of Junction 11 of the A55 to Holyhead and includes the Menai Suspension Bridge.

Alongside her CIHT role, Kerry also volunteers for other institutions and is currently the Chair of the North Wales Branch of the ICE, a Fellow of the IHE, Chartered Member of the ILT and a Fellow of the Womens Engineering Society. In her spare time Kerry is a trustee of the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust.

Aleena Khan

EDI Officer, CIHT Cymru Wales

Aleena joined Atkins as a graduate Transport Planner in 2021, following the completion of MSc Transport Planning and BSc Urban Planning and Development at Cardiff University. She is a commissioner on the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales and formerly a board member at Taff Housing Association.

Aleena is CIHT Cymru Wales' first EDI Officer.

She has experience working in the public sector, Transport for London, and was involved in preparation for the New Draft London Plan examination, and directly contributed towards Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy 2 examinations to secure funding for Crossrail 1 and 2. She regularly contributes to BBC/S4C broadcasts, radio and online media on environmental, cultural and social issues through the medium of Welsh, English, Urdu/Hindi and Punjabi.

Sion Williams

Events Coordinator, CIHT Cymru Wales

Sion has been a member of the CIHT for nearly 20 years. He is a past chair of the CIHT Cymru Wales committee, having served as chair from 2018 to 2020. He has previously also served as the secretary.

Sion is a Chartered Engineer and currently a Project Principal with Mott MacDonald.

Fiona Bennett

Communications Officer, CIHT Cymru Wales

Fiona is a Chartered Member of CIHT and a Chartered Member of CILT. Since re-joining the Cymru Wales committee in 2020 she has become involved in taking on the role of Communications Officer.

Fiona is a specialist transport planning consultant with over 20 years’ experience of development planning, traffic engineering, policy and road safety; developing and promoting schemes through the entire planning process and across the UK.

Her passion is problem solving to find the best solution in practical terms, STEM learning and mentorship, as well as helping to make transportation safer and sustainable for everyone.

Craig Kearney

Regional Recruitment Officer, CIHT Cymru Wales

Craig is a fellow of the CIHT and has been with CIHT for nearly 10 years. Craig is a Chartered Engineer and a CEng reviewer. He is a Practice Manager of Highways Engineering for Atkins (45 direct reports) with whom he is a CIHT champion. He is located in the Swansea office and has 17 years' experience in Highway Engineering.

Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. He is active in highway design, highway improvement schemes and feasibility studies. Craig is also active in the management and delivery of a multi-disciplinary design and engineering solutions team.

He has extensive experience of transportation projects from public consultation exercises to detailed design, preparation of contract documents and construction. He line manages responsibility and is part of the recruitment team within Atkins Wales and provides mentoring and support to Civil Engineering students at Swansea University.

Ian Morris

Policy Forum Chair, CIHT Cymru Wales

Ian is a chartered quantity surveyor and a partner at ChandlerKBS. He has twenty-five years’ experience of providing cost management services and leading commercial teams on major transportation and infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland.

In recent years Ian has provided commercial support to Transport for Wales and Welsh Government on projects including the Core Valley Lines Transformation / South Wales Metro, Wales and Borders Rail Service Procurement, and the delivery of rail, bus and active travel schemes under Metro Phase 1. He is currently leading the ChandlerKBS service delivery on the Network Rail Wales and Western Commercial Services Framework. Previous rail experience includes Coleraine to Londonderry Track Renewals for Translink.

Specific highway project experience includes A1N1 Newry to Dundalk Link Road, M8N8 Cullahill to Cashel Motorway / Dual Carriageway, A8 Belfast to Larne Dual Carriageway, A5 Western Transport Corridor, Church Village Bypass and Porth Relief Road.

Ian has been a CIHT Cymru Wales committee member since 2016.

Russell Bennett

Committee Member, CIHT Cymru Wales

Russell is a Fellow of the CIHT, and past chair of the South Wales CIHT between 2014 and 2016 and Board of Trustee member 2015 to 2018 . He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI).

Rahul Modhvadia

Committee Member, CIHT Cymru Wales

Rahul is a Senior Highways Engineer and previous chair of the Emerging Professionals Committee. Rahul has a diverse background in local authority and major projects. He has an avid interest in all aspects of highways including the interests and needs of various road users and the wider uptake of technology and innovation in the sector.

Surjo Chakrabarti

Emerging Professionals Chair, CIHT Cymru Wales

Surjo is a Graduate Member of CIHT and a STEM Ambassador. As EP Chair in 2022, he has tripled the membership of the CIHT Cymru Wales Emerging Professionals' Committee.

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