Meet the Team

Rupert leads the development of Transport for the South East. He chairs the Senior Officer Group and supports the Chairman and Board.

He is also the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport at East Sussex County Council.

A former president of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, Rupert is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation.

Sarah manages the day to day running of TfSE, including oversight of our Technical, Analytical and Programme teams.

Sarah joined TfSE in November 2018 and previously managed our programme of multi-modal area studies.

She has over 30 years of local government experience, including the development and delivery of major highways schemes.


James joined Transport for the South East in November 2024 and oversees the day-to-day development and implementation of our communications, engagement strategy, and the Centre of Excellence.

James has worked in marketing and communications for over 25 years, including twenty years of public sector experience in roles with East Sussex County Council, the Home Office and Sussex Police.

Kate is the Transport Strategy Manager with responsibility for freight and rail at TfSE. She leads the delivery of several projects as part of our technical work programme including the TfSE Lorry Parking Study published in February 2024, and the establishment and ongoing management of the Wider South East Freight Forum in conjunction with Transport East and England’s Economic Heartland. Kate is also TfSE’s technical lead in the Wider South East Rail Partnership. She manages various studies currently being undertaken about e.g. intermodal rail freight, the current and future provision of warehousing, and the potential for using waterborne freight in the TfSE area.

Kate previously worked for Transport for London delivering the first Local Implementation Plans in London and as a senior business planner; and at the University of Brighton as a research project manager.

Joshua is responsible for developing and managing our analytical framework. His work provides crucial data-driven evidence to support the successful delivery of our transport strategy, strategic investment plan, and various aspects of our technical programmes.

Additionally, Joshua plays a pivotal role in assisting local transport authorities with the use of data and modelling tools, ensuring their strategies are well-informed and effective.

Joshua also collaborates closely with Transport for the North and liaises with the Department for Transport, aligning our methods with national transport policies and leading the development of a common analytical framework across Subnational Transport Bodies.

Benn supported the the work on our Transport Strategy, Future Mobility Strategy and Freight Strategy and is currently leading on the development of TfSE’s regional Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy.

He previously worked at Highways England supporting major investment schemes to improve the road network

Emily manages the TfSE Centre of Excellence, which supports local authorities in improving their overall capability and capacity.

The bespoke content that is created for the Centre of Excellence is specifically developed to tackle important skills such as developing business cases, developing and implementing local transport plans, reducing carbon, and maintaining a pipeline of schemes.

Emily works closely with local transport authorities to ensure that the needs and requirements of the South East are reflected.

Jaimie McSorley joined Transport for the South East in December 2023 from Brighton & Hove City Council.

Jaimie is part of our programme team and her work includes managing and developing our stakeholder relationships, alongside the design and delivery of our ongoing programme of engagement and consultation activities in support of our technical work.

Lewis Milligan is the Project Manager for TfSE’s consultancy framework and supports the analysis team to deliver the Strategic Investment Plan and is currently project managing on early-stage scheme development support for local transport authorities.

Lewis joined the team in August 2023 from his previous role at Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust as business planning administrator.

Eleanor joined Transport for the South East in July 2025 from the charitable sector, where she worked in project delivery and communications.

Eleanor is part of our programme team and her work includes supporting the day-to-day implementation of our communications strategy.