The Transport Change-Maker Programme
Accelerate progress
Increase productivity
Drive innovation
Change in transport is hard, yet few of us learn the essential skills.
It’s time to change that.
The Transport Change-Maker Programme provides the practical, grounded tools every Transport Change-Maker needs.
How does the Treasury work? How can you get faster decisions made? How do you influence outwards and upwards? What’s the right balance between collaboration and determination?
There’s no consultant-speak, no diagrams or models or theory: it’s just the practical tools you need to make change happen in the real world.
Make Change Happen Faster
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Make faster decisions — without the approvals pain
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Run effective tests and experiments
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Influence upwards and outwards with confidence
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Spot and unlock funding opportunities
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🙋♂️
Keep customers central even in a political environment
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Build your personal impact inside an organisation
Frustrated with the pace of progress?
Does every change feel like wading through treacle?
Fed up with decision processes that never end?
Surely there must be a better way than this?…
Don’t worry, there is.
Who are Your Change-maker Guides?
We’ve both lived the reality of transport change.
Thomas Ableman has been part of one of the most innovative teams in transport (he would argue the most innovative), then founded his own startup, then led innovation for Transport for London. Katie-Lee English has worked at the Treasury, the DfT and beyond; shaping the policies and funding decisions that define what gets built and what doesn’t.
We know how hard change can be — and how to make it easier. You’ll learn from leaders who’ve navigated both the Treasury, TfL and the entrepreneurial sector - and come away with tools that work in the real world.
This programme brings together the best of what we’ve learned from changemakers across the sector, and the practical tools you won’t find in textbooks.
What you’ll learn
Ways of Thinking
What a change-maker is. Why change is hard now. Where to put your effort.
Tools for Change
Decision shortcuts. Funding routes that work. Managing risk without freezing progress.
Influencing Upwards & Outwards
How to navigate politics. Storytelling that opens doors. When to collaborate — and when to go alone.
Direction
Customer focus in the real world. Technology without hype. Choosing the right change - then testing it small.
Resilience
Dealing with tough stakeholders and heavy governance. Keeping momentum and credibility.
Leading (Senior Programme)
Building a team of change-makers. Maximising value from the Board. Setting a clear strategy.
Three Levels
New Entrant
Graduate intake, new recruit, new starter - Change-making in Transport for absolute beginners.
Welcome to transport! Time to make an impact.
Junior
You know the sector, you’ve worked here for a few years but you want to get to the point where every change doesn’t feel like disproportionate effort.
It shouldn’t always have to feel like wading through treacle.
Senior
How to turn your team into a change power-house.
Tools and techniques for making faster decisions, empowering your team and setting effective strategy.
Turn your strategy into results your Board and customers will feel
