Steering Committee

Max's background is in supporting trade associations and organisations to get their voice heard, develop their offer and build up a thriving community of members. For five years Max supported the Railway Industry Association, the UK trade body for rail suppliers, as Public Affairs & PR Director where he ran an award-winning communications function and supported the organisation to grow its membership, increase satisfaction scores and represent the industry to Government decision makers. Max joined ITS (UK) as Chief Executive in November 2022 from the Catapult Network, the nation’s nine innovation centres, where he supported their public affairs and policy activity, particularly making the case for a greater focus on innovation.

Kealie Franklin B.Sc (Hons) F.Inst.L&M , is the General Secretary to ARTSM representing manufacturers of traffic control equipment and signage, consultants and service providers and administrator and non-voting Board Member of TOPAS, the specifications body that took over from Type Approval in 2016.

Kealie has been an educator and a lawyer so is well placed to collaborate, negotiate and mediate in a fair, pragmatic and supportive way.

She fundamentally believes that sharing and imparting of knowledge and information is key to achieve joined up thinking and better developed and understood environments.

Richard has been a longstanding member of the IHE, initially as a student member back in 2004, before joining the presidential team in 2006, becoming president in 2012 and then CEO in 2015. During his tenure, he was vital to the expansion of the IHE’s role within the industry, from overseeing developments to the way the organisation operates to the launch of the National Highways Academy and a heightened focus on routes to professional registration and development. He has continued to ensure that the IHE is at the forefront of new developments as principal consultant since pursuing ‘semi-retirement’ in 2020.

Paul Fermer is the Director of Highways and Operations at Oxfordshire County Council with over 20 years of local government experience.  He’s a creative and driven senior leader with a range of highway and transport professional experience across policy development, transport planning, major infrastructure delivery, operations, and maintenance.

Jennie has a BA (Hons) in History from Kings College London, and an MA from the UK’s Open University.  She wrote her MA thesis on the institutional framework of the introduction of camera technology for traffic applications in London.

She started with ITS (UK) as Membership Secretary, and was promoted to Secretary General in 2004 before departing in 2022.

Jennie is also a past Chairman of the Network of National ITS Associations, an organisation of 28 European ITS associations.  She serves on the UK ITS Standards Committee BSI EPL278, and leads PIARC working group 2.4.3.

Jennie is originally from Sweden, but is now a happily naturalised Londoner.

Darren Capes FIET FIHE is Intelligent Transport Systems Policy Lead at the Department for Transport and focuses on the adoption of emerging vehicle, infrastructure and data technologies by the UK’s highway authorities. Darren has over 30 years’ experience working in Local and Central Government.

A qualified civil engineer, his current role involves leading ITS policy at the Department for Transport and focusses on supporting local authorities in engaging with the Future of Transport agenda and ensuring the UK’s road authorities are prepared for the challenges to come.

Darren has a particular interest in emerging transport technologies and the readiness of local highway authorities. He is a Fellow of both the IHE and IET, manages the UK’s Transport Technology Forum on behalf of the DfT and is a member of the ITS World Congress Programme Committee. As well as sitting on the Board of LCRIG, Darren is chair the IET’s National Transport Policy Panel, is a board member of ITS(UK) and a director of the IHE.