Martin Tugwell

Martin Tugwell is responsible for transforming pan-Northern connectivity in order to improve productivity and drive economic growth.

He leads Transport for the North as England’s first Sub-national Transport Body, giving the North a strong, unified and determined voice on transport investment to benefit the region.

Martin has more than 20 years of experience in strategic transport and infrastructure planning at national, regional and local levels, with previous roles at England’s Economic Heartland, the South East England Regional Assembly, the Transport Systems Catapult, and Oxfordshire and Devon County Councils.

His leadership on strategic planning at the regional level created the first Regional Transport Strategy for the South East and contributed to the South East Plan. While working for Oxfordshire County Council he helped lay the foundations for the ambitious plans set out in Oxfordshire’s Strategic Economic Plan, having previously helped establish the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Immediately prior to joining Transport for the North, Martin was Director for England’s Economic Heartland (EEH) – one of England’s 7 Sub-national Transport Bodies. Here, he led the creation of the EEH Transport Strategy – Connecting People, Transforming Journeys. This ambitious strategy sets out how the region’s transport system can support economic growth while delivering net zero emissions by as early as 2040.