I am now retired, but in 1992 I was a regional director in the Department of Transport. My Fellowship topic was the use of information technology for traffic management in urban areas. I visited officials and researchers in Japan and the USA who were involved in pioneering IT projects for traffic management in cities, sponsored by government and automobile manufacturers, often involving public-private partnerships. I wanted to find out how the results of research and development were being applied to road network management in Japan and the USA, to see what lessons could be learned for the UK.

My Fellowship helped me to understand that sorting out the organisational and administrative framework to facilitate the deployment of these new technologies was going to be as significant as the technology itself, especially when issues of public finance, utility and cost-effectiveness loomed large. Much of what was demonstrated in 1992 is now mainstream. I am fortunate to have played a leading role in these developments internationally as a direct result of my Fellowship. Without question it was the chance of a lifetime. I am proud to say that my daughter, Emily Miles, has followed in her father's footsteps and is also a Churchill Fellow.