Karen Cooper
Head of Stakeholders, Blackpool Transport
Community Action
Karen Cooper is Head of Stakeholders at Blackpool Transport, the award winning major bus and tram operator for Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. We operate bus and tram services, offer rail replacement, event management and Park and Ride services.
Joining Blackpool Transport in 2015, Karen and her team have led the business through a continuous journey of change project by project, whilst placing the customer at the heart of every conversation.
Karen is an Equality & Diversity Champion and is implementing an Annual Equality & Diversity Plan, which includes training for all colleagues and a distinct approach to recruitment and retention.
Karen is an experienced Business Change Analyst and has implemented a number of initiatives at Blackpool Transport, including Disability Awareness Training, to support all colleagues in their roles to be confident to cater to the needs of every individual. In addition, an internal Wellbeing Ambassador Scheme has been implemented which supports the Mental, Physical and Financial wellbeing of every team member.
Karen represents the bus industry within the Prime Ministers Champion Group for Dementia and is also an active member of Women In Transport Diversity & Inclusion Group.
Karen is currently on a working group with Bus Users Uk, Disability Rights Uk and fellow bus operators to enable making a positive difference to everyone’s customer experience when using public transport.
My role at Blackpool Transport allows me to make a difference to the lives of colleagues who work with us and also the local communities we serve, thus enhancing the public transport network for a resort which welcomes 18m visitors annually.
By threading accessibility through everything we do, we naturally enhance the customer experience for everyone. I feel privileged to be part of what we are achieving in Blackpool and actively supporting positive changes in public transport nationally.”
