Meet the Team

Sir John is better known for his ownership of Reading Football Club and more recently for his charitable work in the arts field supporting the Royal Academy and the V&A museum. He is also Chancellor of University of Reading and also is sponsor of the John Madejski Academy in Whitley. Sir John invested in Astucia in July 2003 when he acquired a controlling interest in the business. He made further investments in 2004 to fund the R&D program.

Nick Lanigan joined Clearview Traffic in early 2005 with countless years of operational and commercial experience across a range of manufacturing and IT service industries. Nick has been pivotal in the integration of the Astucia and Golden River brands post acquisition and has continued to drive the business forward via a number of key strategic, technical and outsourcing partnerships.

Following a restructure of the executive team in 2009, Nick's role has continued to develop and he is now focused on broadening the scope and strength of Clearview's products and services whilst delivering an outstanding level of service to our prestigious client base.

Andrew Burton joined the Clearview Traffic Group in 2005 when Count On Us was acquired to add to the previous acquisitions of Golden River & Astucia.

Andrew founded Count On Us in 1987 and grew the business to become the UK market leader in traffic & transport data collection with a regional base of 9 offices throughout the UK.

With a restructuring of the business in 2009, Andrew widened his remit within the group to include commercial responsibility for the Golden River, Astucia and COU brands together with the development of a partner network, both UK and overseas. This role now includes identifying new markets, products and services across the group.

Profile to follow...

Ian Wood-Smith is one of the founding partners of Field Seymour Parkes (FSP), a full-service law firm serving businesses and individuals. Ian has extensive experience in advising companies and entrepreneurs on high value corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures and business and corporate reorganisations.

Ian has been the principal adviser to a number of high profile entrepreneurs for many years and frequently advises entrepreneurs and corporates on general corporate strategy and support. Ian is recognised for his pragmatic approach. Ian also advises financial institutions on company law issues and loan security, in addition to advising on a wide range of insolvency and corporate recovery issues.

In the 1980s, Martin Dicks was a serving fire-fighter with the London Fire Brigade. At the time however, he was living in Doncaster while based at London’s Kings Cross fire station. With home and work over 150 miles apart, it meant that he spent a lot of time driving on motorways, in day and night and in all weathers.

In the 1930s, Percy Shaw envisaged the idea of using glass beads in the centre of the carriageway as an aid to night driving and “cats eyes” were born. In the same way, at some point on one of those long motorway journeys, Dicks had what has been described as his ‘Eureka moment’.

Rather than relying on the seventy year-old concept of reflecting the beam back from an approaching car’s headlights, Martin devised the idea of using a solar cell to power a rechargeable battery, which in turn would have a surplus of power to drive efficient low-energy demand LEDs and create a permanent light source within each road stud. His concept proved a winner, extending the night-time view of the road from under 90 to about 900 metres.

Martin left the fire service and in 1992 created Astucia to develop and market his invention. Today Astucia (UK) Ltd, is known worldwide for its groundbreaking technology. In addition to the stand-alone road stud, Martin became the inventor of an entire product range including studs that warn of impending hazards such as fog, ice and surface water. Martin is rightly recognised within the industry as one of the true visionaries in this vital field of road safety.

Raj Sood joined Clearview Traffic in May 2005 as the Group Financial Controller, having previously worked in SME companies in manufacturing, distribution, print drying, and electronics industries.

With an extensive career spanning 35 years, since qualifying as a Chartered Certified Accountant, Raj brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the group. Following the reorganisation of the management structure in October 2009, Raj now leads the Finance and IT function within the Group.

With over 14 years global product marketing experience across a broad range of industries and markets, including both the private and public sectors, Head of Product & Marketing Wayne Stant is a valuable asset to the team.

Wayne’s breadth of experience in fostering enduring relationships with international partners will strengthen our presence in our international markets and his marketing background ensure that the key messages about our products and solutions are clearly targeted at the right audiences in the most cost effective manner.

His proven track record in new product development, coupled with his passion for engaging with customers to create a robust strategic vision, will drive Clearview Traffic to continue delivering market leading solutions that provide clear return on investment.

James joined Golden River Traffic in mid 2004 as an accomplished technical engineer, whereby he had previously worked for other ITS and Technology based companies. James originally provided his knowledge to deliver Golden River’s advanced Traffic Measurement systems for the Highways Agency DBFO’s and major TME / ATC Contracts, and to date has continued to offer his services and developed his occupation within the business.

James has over 10 years’ experience within the Highways and ITS industry and has proved to be a respected asset to the business. His role is to direct the Operations team within the Golden River / Clearview Traffic group with regards to all site logistical requirements. This incorporates accountability and management for our key ITS Maintenance contracts and delivery of specific product Installations for both new and existing technology systems.

Mark Chermside joined Clearview Traffic in April 2008 as a Business Development Manager. He is responsible for customers in the Midlands, North and East Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. Mark has over 20 years experience within the FMCG marketplace and has gained a wide range of experience in sales and particularly in developing Business to Business relationships.

Brian Carpenter, Senior Business Development Manager for the Southern Region joined Clearview Traffic in September 2011. Brian has brought with him 11 years experience in the traffic control industry in designing and delivering  traffic detection technology solutions, primarily working with Local Authorities, Civil Engineering and Consultancy organisations across the UK.

Jean-Christophe joined Clearview Traffic in February 2007 as a Products Sales  Manager. He has been living and working in the UK since September 2001 where he has gained a wealth of experience in Sales, Customer Support and Technical Support.

Before joining the group, he worked in the IT industry as the Team Leader of the Managed Voice Services division for a major company. His experience has equipped him with a unique skill set ideally suited to building excellent working relationships to enhance customer service & satisfaction levels.

He has a Degree in Modern Applied Languages (French – English – Spanish) and Business.

A Proposal Specialist with 6 years experience in supporting and managing bids in both the private and public sector. Responsible for the sourcing of product/service related opportunities within the Clearview Traffic Group and coordination and management of tender responses to secure future business. To build and maintain both internal and new relationships with partners/subcontractors/affiliates involved within the tender process.

Graham has been with the group since 2005 in a mix of both marketing and product management roles. He has been responsible for the introduction of the new group identity associated with the creation of the Clearview Traffic brand introduced in 2006, the continued promotion of the SolarLite intelligent road stud and also the development and launch of the successful M100 wireless vehicle detector into the UK Traffic Signals Market.

Between 1985 and 2005 Graham developed his career with a leading international manufacturer of compressed air equipment, from being an engineering apprentice through project management, technical and corporate marketing roles of increasing seniority.

A recent recruit to the Clearview Traffic Product Marketing team, Paul is a versatile and entrepreneurial Product Manager with substantial experience in understanding market requirements and translating them into a superior user experience.

With responsibility for our Intelligent Transport Systems data collection products and our Data Analytics solutions, Paul will focus on reestablishing the innovative spirit that is synonymous with the Golden River brand.

An experienced qualified marketer with over 6 years experience in a wide range of B2B, B2C and FMCG marketing and communications roles, marketing well-known brands such as Wilkinson Sword.

Louise’s aptitude and drive will strengthen the communications strategy between partners, customers and internal employees, using a range of methods including web based, media, social media and local marketing.

Shona's excellent research and project management skills enable us to deliver in-depth market analysis to assist our international growth plans. Responsible for undertaking and coordinating a wide array of market research projects, as well as managing grant applications and awards submissions. Shona's role also sees her coordinating international tender responses and shaping relations with our network of new and existing partners across the globe.