Nick Denton taught History, Politics, English and French at secondary school level for several years, before deciding to try life in the real world. But instead he joined the Civil Service where, in a variegated career, he worked as private secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons;  was seconded to the European Commission to draft road safety legislation which he then opposed two years later as the UK’s transport negotiator at UKREP Brussels; was an international aviation negotiator where his duties included chewing qat with the CEO of Yemen Airways, singing karaoke in Ghana with the director of aviation and accepting a challenge by the CEO of Jugoslav Airlines to a slivovitz drinking competition in Belgrade (he managed a draw). He then spent three years in Montreal as the UK’s representative at the International Civil Aviation Organisation, where his children became fluent in French (unfortunately the incomprehensible Quebecois version).

Back in the UK, Nick worked as head of the Department for Transport’s Freight Policy and Lorry Charging Division, where he developed the proposals (since implemented) for HGV road user charging and longer semi-trailers. He became the traffic commissioner for London and the South East in 2012 and in 2016 returned to his native Birmingham as traffic commissioner for the West Midlands.

He retired as traffic commissioner in 2022. But he has not yet booked that Saga river cruise or taken up golf. He has been appointed one of the DfT’s Independent Complaints Assessors, investigating complaints against DfT’s agencies. He continues to sit occasionally in the Eastern Traffic Area as a deputy traffic commissioner. A qualified transport manager, he quality assures the CPC exams for one of the exam bodies by sitting each test himself. He also helps deliver transport manager CPC training for Beverley Bell Training, outside the Eastern Traffic Area.

Nick speaks French, German and a bit of English; he has an MA in Modern History and an MSc in Transport Planning and Management. His proudest academic achievement however is a top grade O-level in Russian. Sadly, MI5 never came calling.