Adam Stead is the self-style ‘MaaStermind’ at Transport for Wales and a leader in the UK MaaS community. A Chartered Engineer with a Masters degree in ‘Systems and Control Engineering’, Adam has always been fascinated by optimising flow through complex systems.
Adam started his rail career in 2009 working on signalling infrastructure projects before pivoting into digital innovation. Prior to joining TfW, Adam spent 6 years working as an independent consultant helping organisations develop digital transformation strategies. He has worked with the likes of Transport for London, the Swiss Federal Railways, QinetiQ, Keolis, Bombardier, RSSB, and Network Rail.
Adam became involved in the RailTech startup community and in 2018 he founded his own company, Apollo, aiming to revolutionise the capacity of railways through autonomous trains. Despite some keen interest from the Swiss Railways, Apollo’s ambition was abruptly ended by the COVID pandemic.
In an interim role mobilising West of England’s Future Transport Zone programme, Adam found his fascination for the concept of Mobility as a Service and realised its huge potential, and potential pitfalls.
Adam joined Transport for Wales in May 2021 in a permanent role to lead on TfW’s IT and Digital Strategy with responsibility for pivoting TfW to become an integrated digital transport provider. Adam straddles the boundaries between bus, rail, car clubs, demand-responsive buses, bike hire, and active travel, seeking out opportunities to unlock their combined potential.
Adam also leads a monthly MaaSterminds meetup of 14 Local Authorities as part of DfT’s Transport Technology Forum. He lives in Portishead near Bristol with his wife and two young children and enjoys skiing, collaborative online gaming, cocktail making, gardening and home automation.