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Sustrans has announced the appointment of Matt Winfield to the new role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Winfield has been with Sustrans for 17 years and currently holds the role of executive director for England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
He will take up the new role from Sunday, October 1.
Winfied has a wealth of experience, having spent time working closely with the charity’s regional teams over many years to deliver success in making it easier for people to walk, wheel or cycle.
Following his appointment, Matt Winfield said: “To be appointed chief operating officer at Sustrans is a privilege. I am excited to support colleagues to maximise our impact.
“We are all here to make a difference and encourage more walking, wheeling and cycling – I look forward to meeting colleagues across the UK, sharing best practice and supporting the strong relationships we have with devolved administrations and organisations.”
Sustrans has nearly 900 colleagues based across all corners of the UK and Winfield’s appointment is hoped to strengthen relationships between teams.
A spokesperson for Sustrans added: “The role of COO will provide greater consistency across geographic teams, ensuring best practice in delivering the charity’s mission.
“The appointment demonstrates how we are shaping ourselves to be fit for the future and to be in a strong position to deal with all outcomes that the organisation may face.”
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Part of Sustrans’ commitment to making it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle is to be a vocal campaigner on infrastructure.
Earlier this year, the charity’s CEO Xavier Brice described active travel targets as “in tatters” after a National Audit Office report showed the Government would not meet its objectives to get more people cycling, wheeling and walking.
The report states that the Department for Transport’s (DfT) progress suggests it will not meet its targets of doubling urban cycling journeys to 1.6 billion stages by 2025.
Brice said: “This report reveals that active travel objectives are in tatters, and only serves to highlight that long-term and ring-fenced investment can transform lives, if done well.”
