Steer, sharing our vision for the future of transport with the world

One of the reasons Steer is valued so highly by our clients is our sector-specific knowledge, and lately, we’ve been showcasing this expertise at conferences around the world.  

Across May and June, our Steer colleagues, all leading minds in their fields, have spoken on panels and as guest speakers from Colombia to the UK, with their perspectives firmly focused on the future of transport.

With an eye for investment, our LATAM Regional Director, German Lleras, appeared as a guest speaker at the prestigious workshop, "Financing the Foundation: The Role of Development Banks in Catalyzing a 21st Century Infrastructure in South America”. At this event, held in Cali, Colombia, German participated in important discussions on how to increase infrastructure spending in the region, which has the second-lowest infrastructure spending in the world.

New heights were scaled when Head of Infrastructure in Bologna, Lucia Manzi, spoke about integrating cable cars into urban transport networks at the International Association of Public Transport’s (UTIP) Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona, Spain. The public transport market is rapidly welcoming new and innovative modes and technologies, as well as pioneering operating models focusing on mode interoperability and changing user needs. Lucia impressed fellow attendees with her talk "The Next Level of Mobility - An integrated approach," which drew on her and other colleagues’ experience of contributing to iconic projects across Europe and Latin America.

Highlighting one of Steer’s most important markets Leon Garcia Medrano, Associate in Mexico City, appeared on a panel at the Americas Mobility of the Future conference in Monterrey, Mexico. The panel, titled "Electric Buses, Trains, and Metros: An Option for Public Transportation", discussed the huge potential role of electric vehicles (EVs) in public transportation and how this can aid the journey to net zero.

In a testament to the strength of our North American rail team, we recently presented a session on our fresh and leading approach to conducting market analyses for major rail investments at the Transport Research Board (TRB) conference in Indianapolis, US. Derek Cheah, Mark Mukherji and Ilya Chistykov (who work from different North America offices) all spoke on Steer’s innovative work in this field. They used the opportunity to reflect on our role in the Link21 program, which is set to revolutionise transport in Northern California by improving connection between San Francisco and Oakland.

Concerned about equity in transport? Our Associate Director in Vancouver, David Sutanto, recently led a workshop discussing equity in transportation planning and design at the Institute of Transportation Engineers Canada and Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals joint conference. Some of the common themes that emerged from this event, which took place in Winnipeg, Canada, included the importance of engagement with all users and not just those with the loudest voices, the need for better equity data to complement insights from engagement, and the value of cross-disciplinary work.

Finally, Steer Associate in Washington D.C. Ian Sample attended the 95th Annual American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Conference and Exposition in Denver, Colorado. At the industry-leading event, Ian moderated a panel on Property and Concessionaire Management, a stimulating discussion from which one of the most important takeaways was to plan for the unexpected. This was one of the biggest learning experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic; the need to provide options for airport management to address new challenges.

At Steer we like to think our market-leading work speaks for itself, but we’re always happy when our talented colleagues speak about it too. We’re proud of everyone that’s talked at conferences over the last few months and have highlighted our innovative contributions to the transport sector.