Autumn Conference Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd October 2025
Novotel, Southampton

Please note: Meeting rooms updated on 29/09/25

Wednesday 1st October
1230 – 1430 Main Conference Registration in foyer and Running Buffet Lunch in the hotel bar. Collect name lanyard.

1400 Optional site visit to Hants and Dorset Trim departs by bus.

1830 Suggested meet in hotel bar before dinner. 

1900 Dinner in meeting rooms Le Harve and Caen on the ground floor. After dinner speaker Matt Carney, CEO Bus, The Go-Ahead Group.  


Thursday 2nd October
From 0630 Breakfast in hotel restaurant. Please check out after breakfast and bring bags and cases to store in the conference room

0845 Conference Starts in meeting room Le Havre on the ground floor
Welcome from David Conway, Matt Kitchen and David Lee-Kong

0900 Paul Walker, Head of Passenger Transport at Portsmouth City Council: The Politics of Buses in the South

0940 Richard Tyldsley, General Manager at Bluestar: The Bluestar Story

1020 Tea and Coffee

1050 Paul Clifton: The Journalist’s Eye

1135 YBP Member Richard Windley, Commercial Administrator, Reading Buses

1155 YBP Member Isobel Hedley-Jones, Head of Fastrack

1215 Lunch in hotel restaurant on the ground floor

1315 Katy Taylor, CEO, Wightlink Ferries. Managing Public Perceptions

1400 Joel Mitchell, Managing Director, Stagecoach South East: Influencing Partnerships in the South East

1445 Wrap Up

1500 Conference Ends
    Tea and Coffee


Updated 29/09/25