WOMEN IN RAIL AWARDS 2021

Abu Siddeeq

Head of Customer Experience Strategy, London North Eastern Railway & Trustee of the Board of Women in Rail

Abu joined LNER as Head of Customer Experience in January 2020, having previously held roles at FirstGroup, including most recently Head of Customer Proposition at GWR. Abu’s current role involves responsibility for the in-house contact centre team, Accessibility & Inclusion strategy and delivery, property projects and defining & supporting the implementation of CX strategy across the organisation. Abu previously spent several years at Transport for London as a Customer Services Manager looking after telephony and correspondence customer service teams, before moving into bus operations where he led a large team of drivers, engineers and support functions as a Regional Operations Manager.

As the WR “Inspirational Man of the Year 2019”, Abu takes pride in supporting and mentoring colleagues at various levels across the organisation, ensuring that they are fully prepared for when opportunity to progress arise – and that they are working from a level platform.

Adrian Hanstock QPM

Deputy Chief Constable, British Transport Police

Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock has been a police officer for more than thirty- five years and a chief officer since 2010. He was appointed Deputy Chief Constable of British Transport Police in 2014.

DCC Hanstock joined the police service as a constable in Nottingham in 1985, spending time in uniform and detective roles before transferring to the Metropolitan Police Service where he was appointed head of the central London task force. He led undercover investigations to tackle organised criminals and serial sex offenders before taking up the role as Head of CID for Westminster. As a detective superintendent he qualified as a firearms commander, leading the development of intelligence and authorisation of high-risk operations to combat threats to life and gang-related gun crime.

As a Chief Superintendent, he transferred to North London where he coordinated multi- agency enforcement teams to address juvenile violence and domestic safety, leading to the partnership achieving international success in community problem-solving awards. In early 2011 after his graduation from the national Strategic Command Course, he was appointed as a Chief Police Officer and took charge of Roads and Transport Policing overseeing the transport arrangements for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a Commander, he was seconded to the national College of Policing as director of the Strategic Command Course, coaching, developing and assessing the future generation of senior police leaders.

As ‘Chief Operating Officer’ for British Transport Police, DCC Hanstock directs more than 5,000 officers and staff across three countries and two separate legal jurisdictions. His professional responsibilities include setting corporate strategy, performance, overseeing governance, audit and risk functions, leading on professional standards and ethics, as well as championing diversity in policing and handling national media responsibilities.

DCC Hanstock has won national awards for problem-solving, crime reduction and community cohesion initiatives. He is a Chartered Company Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a graduate of the Windsor Trust Leadership Programme and alumnus of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Academy.

He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in the 2021 New Year’s Honours.

Aisha Tague

Head of Customer Services for Ticketing, Revenue and Network Resources, London Underground

Aisha Tague is the Head of Customer Services for Ticketing, Revenue and Network Resources for London Underground. Having joined London Underground in 2003, Aisha’s initial role was in front line operations and she has since held a variety of roles across stations and train operations.

Previously positioned as the Senior Manager for Diversity, Inclusion and Culture, Aisha led an Operation Culture Change programme within LU Operations, focusing on the key objectives of increasing the diversity of the workforce; creating an inclusive culture; and identifying the talent within LU’s operational teams.

Aisha was also the Vice Chair of the TfL Women’s Staff Network Group, a professional networking group that facilitates the development of strong, flexible and productive connections between TfL employees and aims to influence, inform and promote the issues of interest to women in the organisation.

Andrew Haines

Chief Executive and Board member of Network Rail

Andrew Haines was appointed as Chief Executive and Board member of Network Rail in August 2018. Prior to this, he served as Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority following a wide-ranging career in the rail industry, which included roles as Managing Director of South West Trains, and Managing Director of the Rail Division for First Group plc.

Ansuya Oogur Ramhota

Principal Consultant, Arup

Ansuya is a Principal Consultant in Arup’s Advanced Digital Engineering (ADE) Group in London. She is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with over ten years of experience in the Technology Consulting industry. Ansuya has proved her ability to lead projects, manage teams and design and deliver better and more efficient solutions for businesses and its clients. She has led the high quality design of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems and infrastructure on a wide range of complex multi-disciplinary projects across various sectors including Railways, Sports, Commercial, Healthcare and Government. In 2017, Ansuya was named among the Women in Rail - 20 Rising Stars of Rail Industry.

David Horne

Managing Director, London North Eastern Railway

David Horne has been Managing Director of LNER since its inception in June 2018.

He has held senior positions with several train operating companies including as Managing Director of East Midlands Trains from 2011 to 2015, and Virgin Trains East Coast from 2015 to 2018. In his time at East Midlands Trains, he was responsible for delivering the UK's most punctual long distance services over a five year period and under his leadership the company won Passenger Operator of the Year in 2014.

David leads the Executive Team at LNER to transform train services on the East Coast route through the introduction of the fleet of brand-new Azuma trains and working in partnership with Network Rail to deliver an infrastructure programme valued at £1.2bn.

David is passionate about customer experience, improving the railway network and generating sustainable growth.

David grew up in Cornwall where he started his railway career before studying transport management at Aston University. He now lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and their two children.

David Hughes

Director General for Rail Infrastructure Group, Department for Transport

David Hughes is the Director General for Rail Infrastructure Group at the Department for Transport. He leads and oversees the Department's portfolio of major rail investment projects (excluding High Speed 2). This portfolio includes Northern Powerhouse Rail & the Integrated Rail Plan, the Transpennine Route Upgrade, Restoring Your Railway, other Network Rail enhancements, East West Rail and Crossrail. David joined DfT from Transport for the North, where he was Strategy and Programme Director. Prior to that, David spent 15 years at Transport for London.

Elodie Brian

Chief Financial Officer, The Go Ahead Group

Elodie joined Southeastern as Financial Planning & Analysis Manager in 2008 after starting her career at Renault. Now Finance & Contracts Director at Southeastern, Elodie drives the financial performance and sustainability of the business by overseeing the budgeting process and financial reporting, as well as managing the IT and Procurement teams.

Elodie grew up in Paris and Hong Kong. She holds an MSc in Management from HEC Paris and a Masters degree in English and Spanish. She lives in London and is married with 4 children between the ages of 4 and 10. She is a Governor at her children’s school and active within her local community, all of which keeps her busy in the hours outside of work.
As a Director, Elodie takes great pride in the sense of purpose that is shared amongst staff, making a difference to thousands of people’s lives on a daily basis. Elodie loves working in an environmentally friendly industry with an increasing focus on customer service and consistent high standards of delivery.

Emma Hales

On Board Customer Service Manager – Cardiff & Swindon, Great Western Railway

For over 30 years I’ve worked in various Customer Service roles in a variety of different industries during which, I developed a passion for great Customer Service.

I joined the Railway industry in 2016 as a Customer host and quickly developed a sense of pride within the industry, striving to improve myself. I secured the role of Onboard Service Manager in 2018, initially managing the Cardiff depot but then also taking on Swindon depot. My role is to mentor frontline colleagues in the delivery of Great Experiences for our Customers.

I continue to work on my professional development and most recently gained a Certificate in higher education in Railway Operations Management through IRO.

Jacqueline Starr

Chief Executive Officer, Rail Delivery Group

Jacqueline Starr currently works as CEO at the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and assumed this role on 1st December 2020. RDG is a leadership organisation providing key services to the industry and facilitating transformation and strategic activity. Jac is a customer champion advocating change in support of evolving customer needs and has worked to introduce a near real time pan industry experience measurement system in support of this. Jac has previously held roles as Chief Operating Officer at RDG, and MD of Customer. She has worked as an internal consultant as Director of Experience in Barclays Design Office, Head of Experience at O2 UK and Head of Customer Experience and Loyalty at Orange France. Jac also has a NED role on the Board at LiveWest (Housing Association). Jac lives at her home in North Somerset with her husband and 3 children.

Kathryn Nichols

Chief Executive, The Nichols Group

Kathryn Nichols is Chief Executive of Nichols.  She is a Nichols board member and owns and runs the company in partnership with her sister, Frances, Chair and Creative Director of Nichols.

Kathryn joined Nichols full time 24 years ago as the company’s finance Director, following a career in legal practice.

Kathryn has strong vision and values with a strategic focus on making connections, relationships and solving complex challenges, using the business to make a difference to society and the world.

She is strong advocate for equality, diversity and virtual working styles.

Lizi Stewart

Managing Director UK Transportation, Atkins

Lizi Stewart is the UK Transportation Managing Director at Atkins, where she leads 3,000 professionals in the rail, highways and local transport markets.  Her background is in management consultancy delivering transformational change with the world’s leading clients in the transportation, retail, financial services and property industries.  Lizi has worked with clients across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia. She holds a law degree from the University of Bristol and has a Masters in Construction Project Management, where she wrote her dissertation on the business case for greater gender diversity in the construction industry. Lizi is a Fellow of both the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation and is a Board Director of the Railway Industry Association, where she also chairs the finance committee.  She has also just been appointed as co-chair of the Digital Railway pillar of the Rail Sector Deal.

Maggie Simpson

Director General, Rail Freight Group

Maggie Simpson is Director General of the Rail Freight Group, the representative body for rail freight in the UK. Since joining in 2005 she has worked to promote growth in rail freight and to support member companies of the Group in their activities.

Mary Grant

Chief Executive Officer, Porterbrook

Mary joined Porterbrook in 2017 and has over 24 years’ experience working in the UK and international transport sector. Previous roles include leading Eurostar’s new fleet introduction and business change programme, managing director new business development at National Express, divisional managing director, bus and rail at FirstGroup and managing director ScotRail. She has a proven track record of improving operational performance and delivering financial success as well as driving positive culture change within organisations.

Mary is a Board member of the Rail Industry Association (RIA) and also the National Skills Academy for Rail.

Mel Fearn

On Board Service Manager, Great Western Railway

I have been with GWR since 2015, starting as a Customer Host. I then gained the position of On Board Service Manager in Plymouth, and I am now proud to lead a team of 120 Catering Hosts.

Before my time with GWR I was a Restaurant Manager for 5 years as well as several other roles within hospitality. I have always had a passion for developing individuals & Teams and delivering outstanding customer service.

It is an honour to be part of these fantastic Awards this year.

Mohanad Ismail

Senior System Consultant, WSP & Trustee of the Board of Women in Rail

Mohanad is a Chartered Engineer and a Team Leader working for WSP, Mohanad has been involved with various industry focused organisations and holding numerous roles such as Head of Regions for Young Rail Professionals (2020/2021), Member of the Board of Advisers for Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education (BCRRE) & Board Trustee at Women in Rail. In his latter role, Mohanad supports WR in promoting and enabling an industry that welcomes diversity.

Neil Hayward

HR Director, High Speed 2

Neil has a proven track record as a Board Level Executive and human resources (HR) professional across multiple sectors, both public and private, as well as internationally.

Before joining High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, Neil was working as an independent management consultant. His most recent corporate role was at Post Office Ltd where, as Group People Director, he was part of the team that restored this business to profit, after several years of significant losses.

Neil had previously held senior level HR positions at BT plc, the Ministry of Justice, Standard Chartered Bank, and Serco Group plc amongst others

Neil Robertson

Chief Executive, National Skills Academy for Rail

Neil joined the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) in 2015, from the utility sector where he was CEO of the Energy & Utility Skills Group. Before that he was CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping.

Prior to these sectoral CEO roles, he held senior positions in government departments for education and business where had responsibilities in skills, employability, English and migration, regional economic development and European Structural Funds.

Neil has also worked with Babcock, City & Guilds and the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

NSAR’s current priorities are workforce planning, standard setting, company support and quality assurance of training and assessments.

In his spare time, he likes riding motorbikes and planting trees

Nita Rabadia

Management Consultant

Nita is a conscientious and professional Chartered Mechanical Engineer with 18 years ‘experience within the Rail Sector. She has worked on large major multidisciplinary infrastructure projects inc. High Speed 2, where she was the Director of Specification and Technical Assurance and previously for Network Rail where she worked on the London Olympics Portfolio, North London Line Programme and West Coast Route Modernisation (WCRM). She is passionate about promoting diversity and a strong advocate for Women in Engineering. She was named as one of the Top 20 Inspirational Women in Rail 2016 by Women in Rail.

Rachel Turner

Head of New Trains, East Midlands Railway

Rachel has enjoyed a long and interesting career in the rolling stock sector, having joined British Rail in 1990 as an Engineering Management Trainee. Her current role sees her leading delivery of the new Hitachi Class 810 ‘Aurora’ Bi-Mode Fleet into service with East Midlands Railway. Rachel has always been involved in the 'extra-curricular' aspects of working life, with a passion for encouraging young people into the industry and supporting them in their careers. Rachel is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and former Chair of the IMechE Railway Division Midlands Centre. Rachel is also a former Chair of Derby College Rail Skills Advisory Board. Rachel has supported Women in Rail from the start as a member of the Mentoring Working Group. She was delighted to be a judge for the Women in Rail Awards 2020 and is even more honoured to be asked back in 2021.

Rajinder Pryor

Engagement Lead - Network Services, Network Rail & Trustee of the Board of Women in Rail

Rajinder is currently Engagement Lead, Communications at Network Rail. Since joining in 2005, Rajinder has experience in various roles across functions and routes. A certified change management practitioner, she has worked on strategic programmes and projects focusing on technology, people and culture change.
Her career started in the retail industry, after which she joined management consultancy Logica (CGI) as part of their Transport and Distribution arm of the business, working with a range of clients both in the private and public sectors.

In April 2018 Rajinder was awarded Inspirational Woman of the Year in recognition of her work with various networks. She is Trustee on the Board for Women in Rail, a committed Diversity and Inclusion champion supporting Network Rail’s White Ribbon Steering group and Cultural Fusion employee network. More recently she has collaborated to facilitate the implementation of Online Safe Spaces on websites within the rail industry.

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Rob Morris

Managing Director, Siemens Mobility – Rail Infrastructure

Rob is the Managing Director of Siemens Mobility Rail infrastructure, responsible for all of its UK rail signalling, digital, automation and electrification activities across rail infrastructure for Network Rail, London Underground and Crossrail.

With a career spanning four decades in multi-disciplined major projects working for mining, power, general construction and technology-based businesses both internationally and in the U.K. He graduated as an Electro Mechanical Engineer, expanding his knowledge and experience through a multitude of technologies and disciplines throughout his career.

His involvement in major rail, nuclear, Olympics, aviation, power & energy, oil & gas sectors provides him with a uniquely broad experience of what it takes to lead a complex business and to deliver major infrastructure across a number of sectors. His achievements are many and include transformational change culturally, organisationally and at industry level.

Rob is particularly passionate about the Rail Sector, its reputation, health & safety, driving efficiencies and improving diversity in the workplace because of the many challenges it faces. He believes that collaboration, at all levels, is the key to industry success in addressing those challenges.

He is Industry Champion for Digital Transformation for the Rail Sector Deal and is a member of the Rail Supply Group Council.

As part of his passion towards making the industry a more diverse sector, with all the benefits that brings, Rob is an Executive Champion for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for both Rail Infrastructure and the broader Mobility businesses.

Rob Morris

Managing Director, Siemens Mobility – Rail Infrastructure

Tim has worked in the construction industry for over 20 years, beginning his career as a Civil Engineer with Alfred McAlpine and thereafter working across the Highway, Aviation and subsequently Rail sectors. Tim has worked across all levels of the supply chain, from client side at Network Rail through to sub-contractor with Stobart Rail, maintaining engineering at his core. Tim co-founded CPMS in 2012 and has since used his extensive expertise in Project Delivery to develop and lead project teams through the lifecycle of complex projects for a wide range of clients across the transport sector.