The Judges
Clair Mowbray
Chief Executive, National College for High Speed Rail
Clair Mowbray
Chief Executive, National College for High Speed Rail
Clair joined HS2 Ltd to lead on the development of the National College for High Speed Rail in 2014. She has been instrumental in taking the project from concept through to its current stage of development, working across stakeholders to achieve buy-in and support for the project. She was appointed as Chief Executive, National College for High Speed Rail, in September 2016. Clair’s career is characterised by working with organisations dedicated to supporting people through skills development. Her wide experience is an excellent platform for successfully implementing the National College, given its clear mandate to closely link skills development with the economy. Clair is passionate about promoting the opportunities that the high speed rail sector offers to a wide range of learners through an innovative teaching model.
Gordon Wakeford
Managing Director, Siemens Mobility Division UK and Chair of the Rail Supply Group
Gordon Wakeford
Managing Director, Siemens Mobility Division UK and Chair of the Rail Supply Group
Gordon is Divisional Managing Director of Siemens Mobility UK. He is responsible for leading the Rail Systems, Intelligent Traffic Systems, Rail Automation and Rail Electrification businesses of Siemens in the UK. With a headcount of some 4,500 employees, these businesses deliver trains, total road traffic solutions, rail signaling and electrification and maintenance throughout the country. Gordon is a member of the Siemens UK Executive Management Board. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (FCIHT) and a Chartered Engineer (MIET). He was appointed Chairman of the Rail Supply Group in 2016 and is a Board member of the Railway Industry Association.
Jodi Savage
Sales Account Manager, Wabtec
Jodi Savage
Sales Account Manager, Wabtec
Jodi joined the rail industry over 12 years ago and sits on the board of Women in Rail. Jodi has been part of Women in Rail since it was created in 2012 and has developed key partnerships with like‐minded organisations such as Young Rail Professionals and ensured Women in Rail supported Routes into Rail and the Joint University Presentation Programme. Jodi is Sales Account Manager at Wabtec Rail in Doncaster, leading bids for the overhaul, maintenance and refurbishment of rolling stock. Jodi is passionate about the rail industry and has taken a leadership role with Women in Rail to make the sector attractive to young girls.
Karen Boswell OBE
Chief Administration Officer, Hitachi Rail and Managing Director, Hitachi Rail Europe
Karen Boswell OBE
Chief Administration Officer, Hitachi Rail and Managing Director, Hitachi Rail Europe
Karen leads both Hitachi Rail’s UK business and, as member of the Global Management Committee, the global functions for Strategy, IT, Communications & Brand, HSE and Legal & IP. Karen was elected President of the Railway Study Association for 2015/16 (the first female President in its 106-year history) and a Council Member of the Railway Industry Association. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. In 2014 Karen was awarded IoD Director of the Year (Large Company category, Yorkshire region), Woman of the Year 2014 at the Women 1st Shine Awards, and received awards for Outstanding Personal Contribution at the 2015 National Rail Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women in Business Awards 2015. Karen’s contribution and services to the UK rail industry were recognised in the Queen’s 2016 Birthday Honours List, when she was awarded with her OBE.
Malcolm Brown
Chief Executive Officer, Angel Trains
Malcolm Brown
Chief Executive Officer, Angel Trains
Malcolm is Chief Executive Officer of Angel Trains, a business owning over 4,300 passenger vehicles, which has invested £4.7bn in the UK rail industry since 1994. Malcolm joined Angel Trains in February 2008 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2009. Prior to this, Malcolm was Deputy Managing Director for the Serco/NedRail Northern Franchise, a key customer of Angel Trains. He also spent five years in executive positions with National Express Group and worked in a number of commercial roles at Sea Containers/GNER and Marks & Spencer. As well as being one of the first members of Women in Rail, Malcolm is a Non-Executive Director of the Rail Safety and Standards Board and a Trustee of the Railway Children Charity.
Neil Robertson
Chief Executive Officer, National Skills Academy for Rail
Neil Robertson
Chief Executive Officer, National Skills Academy for Rail
Neil joined the National Skills Academy for Rail in July 2015. He spent the previous three years as Chief Executive Officer of the Energy & Utility Skills Group, where he helped the sector put skills on a stronger footing. Prior to this, Neil was at the British Institute of Innkeeping, after working in government departments including Department for Education and Skills and Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (now BEIS) where he had responsibility for targets, basic skills, employability, qualifications, adult learning, English for Speakers in Other Languages and migration. Neil has also worked in the Government Office North East on economic development and infrastructure funding and with City & Guilds and at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
Paul Plummer
Chief Executive Officer, Rail Delivery Group
Paul Plummer
Chief Executive Officer, Rail Delivery Group
Paul is Chief Executive Officer at Rail Delivery Group (RDG) which brings together all passenger and freight operators with Network Rail and the supply chain. Prior to that, Paul was Group Strategy Director at Network Rail for thirteen years with Board level accountability for corporate strategy and funding as well as strategy for the development of the network and other "system operator" responsibilities. Previously, he worked for or advised companies, regulators and governments on business strategy, restructuring, privatisation, corporate finance and regulation in the transport and utilities sectors. He has also held non-executive positions in UK and European transport sector bodies.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE
Chair of Network Rail
Sir Peter Hendy CBE
Chair of Network Rail
Sir Peter Hendy has been the Chair of Network Rail since July 2015, and Chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation since July 2017. Sir Peter was previously Commissioner of Transport for London (TfL) since 2006, having served since 2001 as TfL's Managing Director of Surface Transport. He led, and played a key role in preparing for, the successful operation of London's transport for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was formerly Deputy Director UK Bus for FirstGroup and previously Managing Director of CentreWest London Buses. He started his transport career in 1975 as a London Transport graduate trainee. Sir Peter was president of the International Public Transport Association (UITP) from 2013 to 2015. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport and a fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers. He was knighted in the 2013 New Year's Honours List, having been made CBE in 2006.
Peter Wilkinson
Managing Director - Passenger Services, Department for Transport
Peter Wilkinson
Managing Director - Passenger Services, Department for Transport
As Managing Director of Passenger Services, Peter is accountable to Government for the design, procurement and day to day management of passenger railway services contracts in England and Wales. He has extensive experience of railway operations and the restructuring and liberalisation of railways internationally. Peter has played a significant role in the modern structuring of some of Britain’s railways including the London Underground – post Kings Cross fire, the liberalisation of parts of British Rail and was an owner of the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway and Renaissance Trains open access passenger rail businesses. Peter was a founding owner of the highly respected industry consultancy, First Class Partnerships (FCP). Prior to this Peter had led the strategic procurement operations for a global bank-assurance conglomerate. After graduating from Sheffield, Peter began in defence and telecoms and then established Cascade Games, designing and retailing a range of arcade style games for a range of computer formats, most famous for the world's first fighter-combat game 'Ace'.
Polly Payne
Director General, Rail Group
Polly Payne
Director General, Rail Group
Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne will become Directors General for Rail Group as a job-share in December 2017. They have job-shared for over seven years, most recently, as Directors of Higher Education in the Department for Education, where they have been responsible for designing and implementing the most significant reform to university regulation for over two decades. From 2012 to 2014, Ruth and Polly were Directors for Strategy and Growth in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) including responsibility for the Government’s Industrial Strategy. They moved to BIS from HM Treasury where they led the Corporate Finance, Business, Innovation and Skills team. Before job-sharing with Ruth, Polly worked in a variety of economic and policy roles in Treasury. She previously worked at the University of Sussex, in Mongolia for the Asian Development Bank, and in Zanzibar as part of the ODI (Overseas Development Institute) fellowship programme. Ruth was previously a Deputy Director in the Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments) where her roles included leading work on Post Office reform, Royal Mail and Postal Policy, the government’s shareholdings in NATS and CDC and the restructuring of British Energy. Prior to this she had a number of roles in DTI including developing policy on BNFL’s nuclear liabilities and Private Secretary to the Minister for Energy, Industry and Science. She also spent nine months on secondment at HSBC Investment Bank in their Energy and Utilities team. As Directors General for Rail Group, Ruth and Polly will contribute to the collective leadership of the Department for Transport as Board and Executive Committee members and leaders of the Rail Group.
Ruth Hannant
Director General, Rail Group
Ruth Hannant
Director General, Rail Group
Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne will become Directors General for Rail Group as a job-share in December 2017. They have job-shared for over seven years, most recently, as Directors of Higher Education in the Department for Education, where they have been responsible for designing and implementing the most significant reform to university regulation for over two decades. From 2012 to 2014, Ruth and Polly were Directors for Strategy and Growth in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) including responsibility for the Government’s Industrial Strategy. They moved to BIS from HM Treasury where they led the Corporate Finance, Business, Innovation and Skills team. Before job-sharing with Ruth, Polly worked in a variety of economic and policy roles in Treasury. She previously worked at the University of Sussex, in Mongolia for the Asian Development Bank, and in Zanzibar as part of the ODI (Overseas Development Institute) fellowship programme. Ruth was previously a Deputy Director in the Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments) where her roles included leading work on Post Office reform, Royal Mail and Postal Policy, the government’s shareholdings in NATS and CDC and the restructuring of British Energy. Prior to this she had a number of roles in DTI including developing policy on BNFL’s nuclear liabilities and Private Secretary to the Minister for Energy, Industry and Science. She also spent nine months on secondment at HSBC Investment Bank in their Energy and Utilities team. As Directors General for Rail Group, Ruth and Polly will contribute to the collective leadership of the Department for Transport as Board and Executive Committee members and leaders of the Rail Group.
Sabrina Ihaddaden
Signalling Project Engineer, Bombardier Transportation and former National Chair for Young Rail Professionals
Sabrina Ihaddaden
Signalling Project Engineer, Bombardier Transportation and former National Chair for Young Rail Professionals
Sabrina started her career as a Graduate Engineer to become a Signalling Project Engineer at Bombardier Transportation in Derby. She is now responsible for the integration of the on-board Signalling equipment of the CL710 (LOTRAIN) and CL720 (East Anglia) Rolling Stock projects. She graduated from the University of Lancaster in 2013 with a Masters Degree in Mechatronic Systems Engineering, as well as a Masters Degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the French Engineering School Arts & Metiers ParisTech. Sabrina is also the former National Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Young Rail Professionals and in February 2017, she received the award for the Young Rail Professional of the year, in the female category, from the UK Rail Industry Awards.
