Chief Engineer, Department for Transport, UK government
David Coles is the Department for Transport (DfT)’s first ever Chief Engineer. He is a recognised expert in railway engineering and asset management, advising operators in Europe, Australia, Africa and the US. At DfT, his team provides fundamental engineering evidence to major projects resulting in improvements to project specification, balancing government goals with cost considerations. Topics include scope creep, risk and contingency management, ageing infrastructure, systems integration, and decarbonising infrastructure across multiple transport modes. David is passionate about raising the profile of engineers in the civil service and acts as a role model to engineers from all specialisms within transport.
David Coles FREng