Stephen Child is one of the most respected figures in British road building — and Uberbinder’s trusted technical advisor. He brings a standing in the sector that few can match: a Fellow of the Institute of Asphalt Technology, its highest grade of membership, and a past President of the Institute (2005-2007), with a career spanning more than five decades at the heart of how the nation’s roads are specified, built, and maintained.

For 37 years, Stephen served at Surrey County Council, rising from Materials Engineer to Assistant Head of Highways and Transportation— a career on the front line of highway delivery, where the realities of materials, trials, budgets, and maintenance are lived rather than theorised. That depth of hands-on experience gives him rare insights into what works on the road, and for the practical questions every new material must answer before any road authority will trust it.

What makes Stephen especially valuable to Uberbinder is his command of policy and specification — the frameworks that decide which materials reach the road. Since 2008, he has chaired ADEPT’s Soils & Materials Design & Specification (SMDS) group, the body that represents local authorities on the technical standards governing highway pavements and materials, and that helps shape national guidance on innovation, climate resilience, and specification. Few people understand better how a promising material navigates the path from idea to approved use — or how to help it get there.

It is precisely this knowledge that Uberbinder needs as it moves from laboratory to live road through one of the world’s most complex, relationship-driven supply chains. Throughout his consultancy, Stephen has spent 15 years advising on strategy across the sector and brings to Uberbinder not only his networks among the industry’s leaders but also a genuine belief in its mission. A trusted insider and steady guide, he helps the team navigate the ecosystem with the credibility, patience, and shared vision that turns a breakthrough in the lab into a road people can drive on.