Kate Carpenter has taken over the reins as president of the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) for 2026/27.
Having previously served as the vice president, Ms Carpenter is a CIHT fellow, trustee, and long-standing member with over 30 years of experience in transport engineering, highway safety, and safety governance.
She currently works as the director of operational road safety at Jacobs Engineering, having started at the company in 1998, but has also previously worked as an engineer for Bedfordshire County Council.
The theme for Ms Carpenter's presidential year will focus on ‘how are we making better transport for all?'
She is also expected to lead a focus on how transport systems affect different people in different ways, as well as on how the profession can better understand, measure, and respond to those impacts.
Ms Carpenter said: ‘Transport affects people differently. Too often, we focus on overall outcomes without fully understanding who benefits, who is disadvantaged, and why. I want my presidential year to encourage a broader conversation about how we design, manage and assess transport systems so that they work better for everyone.
‘This is not simply an equality issue. It is also an economic issue. When transport does not work for people, it can limit access to employment, education, healthcare and opportunity, creating costs that are felt across society.'
Sue Percy CBE, chief executive of CIHT, added: ‘Kate has made an outstanding contribution to both CIHT and the wider highways and transportation profession over many years. Her extensive technical expertise, particularly in road safety and safety governance, combined with her passion for improving outcomes for all users, will bring great value to the Institution during her presidential year.
‘Her theme encourages us to think more broadly about how transport systems serve different communities and the role our profession can play in creating more inclusive, effective and sustainable networks.'
