Our Team
Our Staff
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Director: Colin Howden Colin has managed Transform Scotland since 1998. He has extensive experience in campaigns, public affairs and political relations, is a regular contributor to the Scottish media and has published widely on all aspects of sustainable transport policy and practice. As the Director of Transform Scotland, Colin has overseen the design and publication of numerous campaign reports and publications for diverse audiences, from members of the public to senior business leaders and politicians. He is particularly adept at communicating complex technical information in an easy to understand way. He has in-depth knowledge of transport policy, operations and politics in Scotland, having worked with transport companies and senior stakeholders for over fifteen years. Colin was also Board member and Treasurer of the European Federation for Transport and Environment from 2009 to 2012. He can be reached via this webform. LinkedIn profile. |
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Head of Enterprise: Elspeth Wray Elspeth joined Transform Scotland in 2014 to take charge of consultancy, fundraising and membership. She leads projects for Transform’s partners on everything from researching access to bikes in Scotland to launching a cruise ship environmental reporting tool in Norway. An experienced manager, few things make her happier than a good spreadsheet or nicely planned budget. Elspeth started her career as a botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, before rapidly realising that she preferred working with people. She spent several years as an Environmental Consultant, advising clients on stakeholder relations and corporate responsibility, before leaving for Pennsylvania and fulfilling her childhood ambition to volunteer as a Ranger for the US National Parks Service. On returning to the UK Elspeth joined the Design Council to help clients design sustainable buildings and places. Since selling her car Elspeth has rediscovered buses and keeps busy at the weekends taking her family on increasingly complex bus trips around Edinburgh. LinkedIn profile. |
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Fundraising Manager: Emma Margrett Emma has worked and volunteered for Transform Scotland since 2013, initially as Development Officer, then Board Member and is currently Head of Fundraising. Emma’s main role is to research, review, write and submit funding applications to support Transform’s core aims. Emma’s background isn’t sustainable transport related but financial, environmental and development. Emma represented Transform on the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund grants panel for three years and was previously on the Boards of Comrie Development Trust and New Caledonian Woodlands. She does not drive (due to emissions plus being a total liability) so her bike is the main form of transport. Emma also likes table tennis and was a founding member of the Transform table tennis club. LinkedIn profile. |
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External Affairs Manager: Jess Pepper Jess is the External Affairs Manager at Transform Scotland. She is an experienced strategic communications consultant with a professional background in public affairs, research, events and engaging communication on environmental and community projects and programmes. She combines wide experience in project management with strong communication skills, expertise on Government and Parliamentary processes, community engagement, campaigns and fresh initiatives with wide audiences; and has worked with organisations including WWF Scotland, Living Streets, Scottish Water, Children’s Parliament and Transport Scotland. Jess is on the Board of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a Climate Reality Leader/Mentor (trained by Al Gore in 2013) and a Carbon Conversations facilitator. She loves trains and electric buses! LinkedIn Profile. |
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Policy Officer: Marie Ferdelman Marie supports the delivery of campaigns and events and carries out research, writing and project management tasks for Transform Scotland. Marie graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2018 with an MSc in Global Environment, Politics and Society and subsequently worked on cycling and sustainable transport projects for staff and students in the University’s Transport Office. Prior to becoming a full-time staff member at Transform, Marie worked for Sustrans delivering active travel projects. She is a keen cyclist with a love of long train journeys and is particularly enthusiastic about trains that allow bikes to be brought onboard. LinkedIn Profile. |
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Communications Officer: Rachel McFarlane Rachel performs the communication tasks for Transform, managing the social media and web platforms, while also assisting on influencing and research. She began volunteering with Transform in 2019 during her third year at the University of Glasgow, where she received an MA in Politics and Sociology in 2020. It was during her degree that she became interested in environmental policy and communications, deciding to write her dissertation on the role played by social media in engaging members of the public in climate activism. Rachel loves to be outdoors, particularly when she is sitting on the top deck of the CalMac service to the Outer Hebrides. LinkedIn Profile. |
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Business Coordinator: Ros Browning Ros is skilled in coordinating a bit of anything and everything for Transform Scotland! Based in Moray, she works remotely to support the staff team with their roles and manage our volunteers, as well as leading on some HR duties, events coordination, and office management. Graduating from the University of Dundee in 2002 with a degree in Zoology, her working career is diverse, combining extensive experience in project management with strong communication skills and a passion for community initiatives. She has worked for a range of enviromental and health/disability organisations including Friends of the Earth Scotland, The Ecology Centre, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Care for Carers. Ros loves nothing more than taking her dogs out for a long walk in nature or accompanying them on a bus or train journey! LinkedIn Profile. |
Our Volunteers
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Policy Advisor: Chris Day As Policy Advisor Chris has, inter alia, helped form and argue our positions on the Transport Bill, City Region Deals, and Air Departure Tax. After working as a Social and Community Worker, in 1992 Chris joined the Lothian Regional Council’s Accessible Transport Team, moving on in the City of Edinburgh Council to work on transport policy, planning, strategy, and public transport including buses, rail, and taxis. After a varied career in transport he retired in 2016. Chris’ first experience of transport activism was, aged 8 or 9, writing ‘Marples must go’ in the dirt on his father’s car. Marples, indeed, went shortly thereafter. |
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Policy Advisor: Nigel Bagshaw Nigel’s job is to monitor Edinburgh City Council’s implementation of the tram project and any other transport plans and issues affecting the city. He has long been involved in transport issues as a local environmental campaigner. Nigel also served as a councillor on Edinburgh City Council from 2012 to 2017 where he spoke for the Green group on transport and planning matters and sat on the Board of Transport for Edinburgh. He spends a lot of time travelling by public transport throughout Europe, particularly the east, always with a keen eye on other cities’ urban transport systems and history. |
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Communications Assistant: Laura Hyde-White Laura began volunteering for Transform Scotland as a communications assistant in February 2022 and supports the communications team in managing the website and social media to increase the organisations reach and to efficiently communicate Transform’s key aims and values. Laura recently graduated with a Physics degree from King’s College London during which she had the opportunity to study energy and sustainability in Sydney. Experiencing the effects of the 2019 bush fires in Australia and seeing the effects of climate change first hand, Laura’s passion for sustainability and the just transition was amplified and prompted her to undertake a masters in Energy, Society and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh. Laura is mostly interested in socially inclusive decarbonisation of the transport sector that does not exacerbate existing inequalities. In her spare time, Laura can be found either with a mug of coffee in one of Edinburgh’s many cafes, playing korfball or exploring the outdoors. |
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Communications Assistant: Sadikchya Singh Sadikchya Singh started volunteering as the Communication Assistant from March 2022 and works alongside the communication team to support effective dissemination and outreach of Transform Scotland’s work. She is currently pursuing her second Master’s in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh. Sadikchya’s passion for the environment has led her to work in different projects, including establishing an initiative dedicated towards circular economy and sustainable societies back in her home country Nepal. Her dissertation on transport emission in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu made her realise the huge role sustainable transport can play in addressing climate change. She has been a fervent advocate of sustainable mobility ever since and prefers to walk as much as possible. Apart from her professional life, she loves reading and can be seen in salsa parties every now and then. LinkedIn profile. |
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Policy Advisor: Tom Flanagan Tom is based in Dunbar and spends his spare time supporting the family retail business, Nørden, a skandi-styled retail store in North Berwick. Tom has extensive experience having been a local government Chief Officer for over 30 years leading on growth, transport, regeneration and environmental services. He is well versed in strategic partnership working and his immediate past role was Partnership Director for the Tayside and Central Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (TACTRAN). Tom was also previously Executive Director Place for Blackburn with Darwen BC. Before joining BwD, Tom held the strategic policy lead role with Oxfordshire County Council and has also served as the Corporate Director for Environment, Planning and Economy for Cornwall Council and Executive Director for Regeneration with Oldham MBC. As well as volunteering for Transform Scotland, Tom is also currently acting as Strategic Advisor to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport on their Regional Transport Strategy. He is a Scouser by birth, an avid Liverpool fan and holds a season ticket to Anfield. YNWA. |
Please note that, except from Colin Howden, all of our staff and volunteers work part-time.
All media enquiries should be directed to Colin Howden on 07956 394121 or via this webform.
Our Board of Directors
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Stuart Hay is Head of Living Streets Scotland and is Transform Scotland’s Acting Chair and Treasurer Stuart Hay is the Scottish Director of the national walking charity Living Streets. He has worked in policy and development roles for charities and social enterprises for over 17 years. This includes work with Changeworks, Friends of the Earth Scotland, The Scottish Wildlife Trust and Help the Aged. His work has ranged from policy and influencing to developing new projects and partnership with a wide range of funders. He was a founder member of the Edinburgh Solar Coop that raised £1.4 from a community for a schools renewable project. At Living Streets he oversees a team delivering a programme of community street audits and a schools walking project which reaches over 200,000 pupils across Scotland. In 2018, he help to produce the second edition of the pedestrian pound on the economic case for investment in walking. As a director at Transform Scotland he provides strategic advice on campaigns, policy and project development. LinkedIn profile |
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Damien Henderson is Senior Regional Growth Manager at Avanti West Coast Damien has led the rail franchise’s media and stakeholder engagement in Scotland since 2013 and plays an active role in campaigning for sustainable transport. He has worked with Transform Scotland to highlight the positive role cross-border rail has played in reducing Scotland’s carbon footprint while growing passenger numbers. He recently helped establish the Glasgow Connectivity Commission, which under the chairmanship of Professor David Begg published a radical transport blueprint for Scotland’s largest city region, prioritising healthy modes of travel and public transport as well as investment in people-friendly places. Damien sits on Scottish Chambers of Commerce’s Business Advisory Group and was previously Transport Correspondent for The Herald where he covered all modes of transport. He is passionate about understanding the wider societal role transport should play driving in economic development, inclusivity, decarbonisation, better health and urban planning. LinkedIn profile |
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John Lauder is the Deputy CEO of Sustrans and Executive Director for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. John was born in Coldstream, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders where his walking and cycling habit took hold. He joined Sustrans as Scotland Director in 2005, and became an Executive Director in 2016. Sustrans vision is a society where the way we travel creates healthier places and happier lives for everyone; its mission is making it easier for people to walk, cycle and wheel. Sustrans is very much a practical and doing organisation. We have three priorities: improving the National Cycle Network, developing Liveable Cities & Towns and working For Everyone towards a fairer and kinder world. We help create good space for people by managing funds on behalf of statutory bodies and distributing them through various funding streams. Finally, Sustrans aims to influence policy and practice by demonstrating what can be done to combat sedentary lifestyles, improve poor air quality, reduce congestion and transform public space by allowing people to choose to travel on foot, by wheeling and by bike. To that end John is a regular contributor to policy development, a frequent attendee at parliamentary committees and commentator in the media. |
Our Policy Forum
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Paul Tetlaw is a committee member of Capital Rail Action Group and is the Convener of Transform Scotland’s Policy Forum Paul spent most of his career in environmental management in the water industry and was formerly a General Manager with Scottish Water. He was born in Yorkshire where he started his career in the water industry before moving to Scotland in 1980. He qualified as Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Institution of Water and Environmental Management. He has had a long-term interest in sustainable transport and its relationship to individuals’ quality of life and the built environment. He is a member of the steering group of Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG), who he represents on the Policy Forum of Transform Scotland. Paul also represents Transform Scotland on Transport Scotland’s High-Speed Rail Partnership Group and chaired ScotRail’s Stakeholder Advisory Panel from 2016 to 2019. He is on the Committee of the Scottish Association for Public Transport and was the Chair of Transform Scotland between October 2006 and October 2010. Currently Paul spends most of his time at Transform Scotland focussing on rail issues aiming to influence the agenda for rail expansion within Scotland and on cross-border services. He is particularly proud of the part that Transform Scotland played in helping to ensure that a tram system was delivered in Edinburgh. LinkedIn profile |
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Helen Todd is Campaigns & Policy Manager at Ramblers Scotland Helen sits on the policy forum at Transform Scotland, but was previously a board member from 2006 to 2016 including spells as vice-chair and acting chair. Helen has a particular interest in increasing current levels of walking and cycling as forms of transport and for leisure travel. Helen is currently the Campaigns and Policy Manager at Ramblers Scotland. Before working for Ramblers Scotland Helen was a campaigns researcher for Friends of the Earth Scotland, and has also served as chair of Scottish Environment LINK. |
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Malcolm Reed Malcolm Reed was the first Chief Executive of Transport Scotland and was previously Director General of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. Since retiring from full-time employment in 2009 he has held a variety of advisory and consultancy roles in the transport sector both north and south of the border, which have included assignments for Virgin Trains, Nexus, and Abellio. His previous career included posts at Glasgow University, the Planning Exchange in Glasgow, Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive, and Strathclyde Regional Council, latterly as assistant chief executive with responsibility for the Council’s infrastructure and protective services. He was appointed a CBE for services to transport in the 2004 new year’s honours. Malcolm maintains his professional interest in transport through fellowships of the CILT, CIHT, and the Institute of Railway Operators, and his strong personal commitment to sustainable transport is reflected in his current role as Vice-President of SAPT. He is also a member of the Advisory Panel of the Railway Heritage Trust and for many years has served on the judging panel of the National Rail Awards. |
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Stefan Maurice is an Infrastructure Coordinator for Sustrans Scotland Stefan is an Infrastructure Coordinator for Sustrans Scotland’s Places for Everyone programme, where he supports communities and local authorities to design and create active travel infrastructure which improves health, wellbeing, and our physical environment. In 2018, Scotland’s Year of Young People, he was awarded a travel scholarship by CSGNT to examine youth engagement with sustainable urban design across the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. With a background in mathematics and a previous career in software development, Stefan was a passionate proponent of sustainable travel before volunteering and retraining to bring his skills to the transport sector. As a member of the Policy Forum, he supports and informs Transform Scotland’s work on strategic transport developments. In his spare time, Stefan enjoys exploring Scotland’s coastal paths. As a musician, Stefan can be heard in Edinburgh-based band, Hamish Hawk and the New Outfit, or organising the in-house Sustrans band. |
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Bruce Whyte is a Public Health Programme Manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). Bruce sits on the policy forum at Transform Scotland and was previously a board member. At GCPH, Bruce leads a programme of research into active and sustainable travel. Recent publications have included a review of cycling casualties and near misses in Scotland and an evaluation of a bike inclusion scheme (Bikes for All). He is currently involved in analysis of cycling and walking trends during lockdown and research to estimate the health economic impact of pedestrian and cycle commuting in Scotland. |
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John Pinkard is the Managing Director of Ansons Consulting Ltd. John is a member of Transform Scotland’s Policy Forum and was previously a member, Vice-Chair and Chair of the Board. He has a deep understanding of the role sustainable travel and transport can play in creating a better world and is committed to helping deliver this outcome. John arrived in the UK in 2004, having started his 30+ year career in Australia. His day job is Managing Director of Ansons Consulting Ltd, a company that specialises in planning, delivering and evaluating measures designed to reduce the social, environmental, economic and/ or financial impacts of travel and transport. Alongside his consultancy work, John has also spent several years working in a range of relevant public sector policy and strategy roles and has volunteered his time to support the work of several charities. He holds a degree in Outdoor Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business. |
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Sue Flack is a transport and planning consultant, specialising in Workplace Parking Levy. She has considerable public sector experience but has also worked in consultancy for 8 years. She was Director of Planning and Transport at Nottingham City Council from 2012 to 2016, having previously been responsible for developing the levy in Nottingham from its initial stages and before that developing travel plans across the city. More recently she has advised various local authorities in England who want to develop Workplace Parking Levy in their area and is currently working mostly for Leicester City Council. She is a trustee for the URBED Trust.In her spare time Sue tries really hard to keep fit and blogs about living in an eco housing estate. |
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Roger Humphry is a quantitative scientist/statistician and has supported Transform in the review of stakeholders’ perceptions of ScotRail and on Transform’s Policy Forum. He works on public health and veterinary epidemiology. Roger is attracted to transport because he believes that if government were to match funding and decision-making to their policy (e.g. the Sustainable Transport Hierarchy), we would see substantial improvements in a number of important outcomes (health, economic, environmental, social). Roger has argued it is a policy area in which most of the solutions already exist and for which we have good evidence. So all that is now needed, is implementation. Roger is involved in a few local and national groups – trying to create paths and making the case for more sustainable transport policy. |
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Dr Jonathan Cowie is Lecturer in Transport Economics at Edinburgh Napier University, and previously held lecturing posts at University College Scarborough and Glasgow Caledonian University. |
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Currently on maternity leave, Rebecca Millar is a Policy Officer with the National Trust for Scotland where she focuses on environmental policy.
This includes policy covering marine, agriculture and land use, woodlands and biodiversity. She has a particular interest in sustainable transport in relation to conservation and creating nature-friendly neighbourhoods. She is also enthusiastic about the mental and physical health benefits of nature. The public and active transport options in Scotland are a huge barrier to people experiencing nature, both in cities and in Scotland’s wild places. Rebecca wants to ensure everyone can access affordable and low carbon transport options to visit Scotland’s great outdoors. Prior to the National Trust for Scotland, Rebecca worked in policy at Citizens Advice Scotland and in Edinburgh City Chambers as a departmental advisor the the Economy Convener. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from Stirling University. Rebecca also interned at Transform Scotland as a Campaigns Assistant (a long time ago!).
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Erik Dalhuijsen is a physicist, petroleum and renewables engineer, currently working as free-lance consultant in the transition space. |
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Dr Caroline Brown is a chartered town planner working at The Urban Institute in Heriot-Watt University.
She teaches and researches topics around environmental and social sustainability and the role of the built environment in supporting human and planetary health. Caroline is particularly interested in active travel and the experiences of women, children and disabled people who cycle or wish to cycle. Despite lots of evidence about the lower uptake of cycling among women for example, there is little nuanced understanding of the reasons for the differences and how they might be tackled in policy and design. In an attempt to cover some of these gaps, Caroline has supervised and advised many student research projects about active travel, including a PhD exploring cyclist-pedestrian interactions on shared paths, and several exploring the experiences of women cycling in Edinburgh. Caroline documents some of her thoughts about transport issues on her blog. Caroline is a co-director of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling and a founding committee member for the Women’s Cycle Forum Scotland.
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Hussein Patwa is an accessibility consultant and is passionate about transport and technology. He served on the Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland advising government and external stakeholders on all issues related to accessible transport, and is currently Acting Secretary of the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance. He acted as a member of and patient representative to the National Advisory Committee on Chronic Pain and has volunteered with RNIB in a variety of mid to high level roles across the UK. Hussein is an avid reader and travel enthusiast, and has worked with a number of groups on projects to facilitate inclusive low-carbon journeys, with a specific focus on inclusive communication, design and technological innovation. Hussein is registered blind and suffers from chronic pain, and has worked to ensure the voices of disabled people are heard, while using his own lived experience to ensure that products and services are accessible, affordable and available to all. |
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Rob McGregor is a Non-Executive Director at Scottish Canals and works at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). He previously worked for Network Rail managing the track access contract of a large train operator. Then as Station Manager at London Waterloo, he became involved in Olympic planning and moved to London 2012 to develop, test and run the multi-modal Olympic Park Transport control centre. In 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Scottish Canals, a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Scottish Government. He is also passionate about 20 minute neighbourhoods and how they might be adapted to a Scottish context. In addition to transport experience, Rob brings experience in corporate strategy, Board governance and risk from his work at the FCA supervising financial services firms. This involves holding firms, their Boards and their senior managers to account for their conduct and business strategy. |
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Karen Barrass has been working at the nexus of transport and climate policy for two decades.
Her extensive experience lies in research and advocacy – developing insight and policy tools and leading campaigns to affect positive change. She currently leads policy and research activities at UK100. Prior to this, she spent four years advising European parliamentarians on climate, air quality and transport and working with communities across the South East. She has a long track record as an independent consultant, working with various international public and private organisations on transport and sustainability, including Urban Foresight, Global Action Plan and UN Habitat. Karen’s doctorate from Oxford University explored the policy implementation processes necessary to decarbonise transport. Karen began her career at The Climate Group where she worked to establish the States and Regions Alliance – now the Under2 Coalition.
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David Giles is Deputy Chairman of the Scottish Association for Public Transport. |
