The forum for senior leaders shaping the future of UK roads
The Highways Leadership Forum is an invitation-only gathering of senior decision-makers from across the UK roads sector.
Convened by Highways Magazine, the Forum brings together leaders from government, National Highways, local authorities, tier one contractors, major suppliers, professional bodies and industry organisations for focused, closed-door discussion about the future of the UK road network.
The Highways Leadership Forum is an invitation-only gathering of senior decision-makers from across the UK roads sector.
Convened by Highways Magazine, the Forum brings together leaders from government, National Highways, local authorities, tier one contractors, major suppliers, professional bodies and industry organisations for focused, closed-door discussion about the future of the UK road network.
The Highways Leadership Forum is back in 2027
Building on the success of 2026
The Highways Leadership Forum 2026 demonstrated the value of bringing together senior leaders from across the UK highways sector to share ideas, challenge conventional thinking and tackle the industry's most pressing strategic issues.
The event created a unique environment for meaningful conversations, valuable connections and fresh perspectives, reinforcing the importance of collaboration at a time when the sector is experiencing significant change.
Joined-up leadership
With transport priorities shifting, safety expectations evolving, funding pressures increasing and the drive towards digital transformation and decarbonisation accelerating, the need for joined-up leadership has never been greater.
Despite these shared challenges, the highways industry remains highly fragmented across government, national bodies, local authorities, contractors, suppliers and professional organisations. The success of the 2026 Forum highlighted just how valuable it is to bring these groups together, away from day-to-day operational pressures, to focus on the bigger picture.
The Highways Leadership Forum exists to create that space.
More than another industry conference, the Forum provides a focused, senior-level environment where influential voices can exchange ideas, build relationships and help shape the future direction of the UK's highways network.
2026 Event Partners
The story of 2026
Strategic alignment at leadership level
We are inviting six organisations only to participate as Forum Partners. Partnership is not transactional sponsorship; it is alignment with sector leadership.
Forum partner benefits include:
- Strategic influence & platform to meet industry leaders
- Senior-level access
- Pre-event feature in Highways Magazine
- On the day branding
- Highways Presents video coverage
- Post event magazine feature and marketing exposure
Who was there is 2026?
This is not a conference
The Highways Leadership Forum is deliberately different from traditional industry events.
There are no competing stages, crowded exhibition halls or passive audiences.
The Forum is designed for focused, senior-level discussion between the people shaping policy, funding, standards and delivery across the UK road network.
The emphasis is on open discussion, practical collaboration and strategic alignment across the sector.
Open, confidential discussion
The Highways Leadership Forum operates under The Chatham House Rule, allowing participants to speak openly, challenge assumptions and test ideas without attribution.
The aim is to create a trusted environment for honest, constructive discussion between senior leaders from across the sector.
Conversations focus on shared challenges, strategic priorities and practical barriers to delivery - not public positioning.
What happens in the room
Why attend
Attending the Highways Leadership Forum provides:
- Direct insight into the priorities and pressures shaping the sector
- Access to senior perspectives from across government and industry
- The opportunity to contribute to strategic discussion around the future of the network
- Stronger relationships across organisational boundaries
- A clearer understanding of shared delivery challenges and emerging priorities
Event Details
14 September
Lunch on arrival (1pm)
Afternoon session (2pm–5.30pm)
Drinks, dinner and overnight stay
15 September
Breakfast
Morning session (9am–12 noon)
There is no cost to attend the Highways Leadership Forum.
The ambition
The ambition is simple: to create the annual moment where leaders from across the UK highways sector come together to think strategically, align priorities and help shape the future of the road network.