Highways England are supporting this year’s Highway Skills event with the confirmation of divisional director Russell Wallis as a speaker.
Russell will tackle the subject of 'Stimulating the skills agenda in the highways sector’.
Russell is the divisional director responsible for the Major Projects change programme at Highways England and joined the organisation back in 2007 when it was still the Highways Agency. He works alongside the supply chain and with other industry leaders to shape the delivery of major roads improvements which will allow the industry to attract and retain the skills required to deliver the government’s £15bn Roads Investment Strategy.
Russell has a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MBA and has gone on to work in a number of engineering, construction and, project management and delivery roles across both the public and private sector. Before joining Highways England he worked for Thames Water where he was project director of Thames Water’s £1bn waste water capital investment programme.
He said: “I am delighted to have been invited to speak at Highway Skills. It is an exciting time to be in the roads sector and there is a lot of emphasis being placed on delivering the government’s £15bn Roads Investment Strategy so that we have a safe, serviceable, free-flowing network that contributes to economic growth across the UK.
“Growing talent for our sector will play a vital part in shaping the future. For us to be in the best position to deliver this huge amount of work we and the supply chain need to attract and retain the skills required to build a diverse workforce.
“I look forward to meeting participants and finding our more about the role we can play in attracting the brightest and the best of the next generation into our industry.”
Don't miss out! Highway Skills will bring together key industry professionals to discuss and debate on the skills demands within the highways sector, and how we as an industry can deliver a workforce fit for the future. For more information, visit www.highwayskills.com or go straight to registration.
