WOMEN IN RAIL AWARDS 2023

SPL Powerlines UK Limited is the leading overhead line electrification provider, with both a Principal Contractors Licence and a Plant Operators Licence. SPL Powerlines UK provides turnkey OLE capabilities from design through to installation, commissioning and to final testing.

SPL Powerlines UK is a subsidiary of Austrian based Powerlines Group, one of Europe’s leading system providers in railway electrification. Powerlines Group is an EQUANS company, a world leader in multi-technical services.

“SPL Powerlines UK embraces Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and lives and breathes it daily. 

We are an employer in the construction, transport and rail sectors and believe everyone should be treated in the same way no matter what origin, sex, ethnicity, beliefs and sexual orientation. Job roles should be influenced by performance, attitude and application. 

SPL Powerlines UK have recruited a considerable number of women into Engineering, Health and Safety, Commercial, Finance and HR roles where our staff play a critical role in the overall performance of the company. 

In the last year alone, three women have been nominated into the Executive Team and constitute the backbone of the organisation. Ambitious, competent, passionate and are an essential asset to the business. 

It is part of our culture where we create an environment that is fruitful for innovation, collaboration and embraces diversity. A culture of trust, respect and appreciation which will have a direct impact on our employees, our business, our partners, and our stakeholders. 

So, for SPL Powerlines UK it was an absolute privilege to be able to support #womeninrail as their ‘Headline Sponsor.’ We want to help get the message out to the industry that it takes every one of us to make a difference. 

There is so much potential for careers in rail, we need to inspire people to join this exciting sector that is driving innovation, efficiencies, diversity, sustainability, decarbonisation and working towards reducing our carbon footprint meeting net zero goals and building upon our social values. 

It’s up to each of us. Actions speak louder than words. Let’s do it – together!”

BAM Nuttall is a UK leading supplier of civil engineering, design and delivery services. At BAM, we embrace a culture of partnership with our clients and industry partners, forging strong alliances that create value and deliver sustainable outcomes across a range of sectors including rail, highways, air, marine, tunnelling, energy and water.

We want to leave our world a better place than we found it – to build a more sustainable tomorrow. We enrich local communities and leave a lasting positive impact – connecting, building and maintaining places where people and the planet prosper together.

Through innovation, collaboration and determination, we’re shaping tomorrow’s world. We’ve set an industry leading carbon target to become net zero in our direct operations by 2026, and we’re supporting our clients and supply chain to follow us in that journey.

We’re transforming our industry to meet the challenges of the future. Leading the way in the application of modern methods of construction. From Antarctic scientists to Rail infrastructure engineers, our teams use digital technology, 4D models and state-of-the-art visualisation tools, like Virtual Reality to revolutionise project design and delivery.

People are at the heart of everything we do. We nurture great teams by encouraging, educating and investing in incredible people. Whether supporting WISE and Building Diversity or becoming a ‘Construction Pioneer’ and researching innovative, flexible-working solutions with Timewise, we encourage pushing the boundaries so everyone can achieve exceptional results.

BAM Nuttall is delighted to sponsor the Women in Rail Awards Apprenticeship category, celebrating the rail industry’s emerging talent. Apprenticeships are a vital way of attracting new people into our industries and help improve diversity across our teams.

We’re testing new approaches for recruitment and selection of candidates, to raise awareness of our opportunities and appeal to a wider range of people. We’re attracting more diversity in our apprentice intake, who range from 16 to 60 years old, with a third of our apprentices being women in 2021.

Beacon Rail Leasing is a rolling stock leasing company headquartered in Luxembourg and focused on serving the European and UK markets. Beacon Rail Leasing’s current portfolio includes 479 locomotives, a 1,200 freight wagons, and 575 passenger train vehicles and intercity coaches on lease across Europe. Beacon Rail Leasing has an industry leading management expertise and capital markets experience, enabling it to meet the equipment needs of its Pan-European customer base.

Women in Rail, at its core, was created to improve diversity in the UK rail industry. Here at Beacon we recognise that everyone’s voice is important and do not make assumptions. We believe that by fostering a diverse, inclusive and international workplace we boost creativity. The more creative we are, the more effectively and efficiently we can work together and the more likely we are to succeed in achieving our goals. The Women in Rail Awards empowers people within the rail industry, promoting diversity of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socio-economic background and life experience. Beacon is honoured to be able to support and celebrate with Women in Rail those individuals and companies who align with our culture and together bring greater diversity to the rail industry in the UK and beyond.

Egis is a global consulting, construction and engineering company with over 50 years’ experience delivering highly complex multidisciplinary projects for major railway and urban transit clients worldwide.

Our expertise spans across the freight, high speed and commuter rail sectors and extends to multi-modal hubs, depots, stations, operations, maintenance and asset management, including development and design. Since 2012, we have managed over £1bn of complex, multi-disciplinary rail projects in the UK, offering a wide range of tailor-made consulting services to our clients.

Aside from rail, Egis also provides services for governments, businesses and organisations in other areas of transport, urban development, construction industry, nuclear, water, environment and energy.

At Egis, EDI is about recognising that everyone has unique qualities that should be celebrated and supported. As a responsible and people-first company, we offer employees an environment of mutual respect where every team member matters and can contribute their best work.

Egis is very proud to sponsor for the Women in Rail Awards and join the rest of the UK rail industry in celebrating the significant contributions made by people and organisations to improving gender balance, diversity and inclusion within the UK railway sector.

As a truly equal, diverse and inclusive organisation, Egis is committed to advocating gender balance and workforce diversity throughout all grades and roles. Our UK rail business unit was one of the first signatories of the Women in Rail and The Railway Industry Association joint ‘EDI Charter’.

We have a solid UK EDI strategy which is in line with the core values advocated by the Charter and is implemented through EDI Action Plans where the leadership team acts as key drivers of Egis’ EDI effort, supported by a wide range of HR policies and practices aimed at ensuring EDI is woven throughout the fabric of the business. The EDI strategy is also supported by our pro-active EDI Focus Team which leverages employee contribution and help create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Kier is a leading UK infrastructure services, construction and property group.

Our purpose is to sustainably deliver infrastructure which is vital to the UK, and we are committed to leaving lasting legacies through our work.

We have decades of experience in the rail sector, delivering everything from signalling, power, telecoms and civil engineering works, to major rail projects, including Crossrail and HS2.

“Kier is proud to support the Women in Rail Awards. As a tier 1 contractor with projects cross-sector and expertise, it’s important that we are a role model for those who aspire to join the industry. It’s our aim to be a force of encouragement, from the moment a decision is made to put in an application, right the way through a career with us and beyond.

Not only do we have robust policies in place to uphold this sentiment, including our family-friendly policies, but we are fortunate to be driven day-to-day by passionate people who care about mentoring and providing equal access to opportunities.

Our work celebrates everyone bringing something different to the table and being comfortable in doing so too. We’ve spearheaded our Expect Respect campaign, which details the expectations of all our employees and those who enter our sites, and we’ve seen the kickstart and overwhelming support of employee networks and action groups too.

The difference we can make through participating in the Women in Rail Awards, is one which has the potential to break barriers to entry, and an opportunity to make it clear that we all can and should bring our authentic selves to rail.”

KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) operates the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) under franchise for Docklands Light Railway Limited, part of Transport for London.  It is the busiest light railway in the UK and carries 122 million passengers a year; more than many heavy rail operators. KAD comprises c865 employees working to deliver the operations, customer service, engineering and project services for the railway.  The DLR serves a total of 45 stations.  The train service operates through a number of diverse and varied boroughs in east and south east London, connecting residents from Greenwich, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets to the heart of London’s financial districts in Canary Wharf and Bank and popular tourist attractions at Greenwich and Tower Gateway.

“KeolisAmey Docklands are proud to sponsor the Top Employer of the Year Award at the Women in Rail Awards and to recognise the great achievements and significant contributions that women in the UK make to the rail industry.

Improving gender balance, diversity and inclusion in rail is of crucial importance to KeolisAmey Docklands and we are looking at new approaches throughout the employee lifecycle to attract, recruit, develop and retail.

KeolisAmey Docklands are proud to sponsor the Women in Rail Awards again this year and to be a part of the UK rail industry’s commitment to gender balance, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Women in Rail has been an invaluable resource in our equality, diversity and inclusion work at KAD. From the findings of the Industry Survey report informing our outreach and recruitment, to the cross-company mentoring programme being an important element of our Women in KAD Development Programme, we are grateful for the platform Women in Rail provides to support good practice across the sector.

This year we are pleased to sponsor the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Individual Award and look forward to joining colleagues at the ceremony to recognise and celebrate all those who have contributed to the Women in Rail agenda over the past year.”

With a 50+ year heritage and a market-leading status, the Morson Group’s purpose is to find talent for today, tomorrow and the future by creating universal opportunities and enabling routes into rail.

We are a diverse collection of businesses with an outstanding reputation for delivering talent, consultancy, technology, screening, and training solutions around the world. At Morson, recruitment is more than filling roles. It’s transforming businesses, fuelling industry and innovation, creating fulfilling careers, encouraging the next generation, and opening the world of work for all.

Placing people first, it’s our guiding principle and it’s our responsibility. With this at our heart, our candidates and contractors return, our clients become advocates, and our employees thrive in a successful culture that nurtures their ambitions.

We are dedicated to improving diversity within the industries we work and through strong mental health and accessibility initiatives we are actively committed to improving the lives of our internal workforce and wider contractor base.

At Morson, we are proud to work with so many inspiring, committed, intelligent and ambitious women. We are well on the way to exceeding our 2017 pledge to double the number of females we have in engineering roles by the end of the decade, recognising that if we are to succeed as individuals, as teams, as companies and within industry we need to address the gender imbalance. We have a responsibility to facilitate positive challenge be it through changing perceptions of industry with events, such as the Women in Rail awards, or encouraging future talent through work placements and talks. The Women in Rail awards showcases the proactive work being done towards creating a culture of accessible and visible opportunities for all in an industry typically seen as male dominated. By supporting the awards, Morson celebrates the significant contributions of people and organisations who have improved workforce diversity within the UK rail industry.

We provide strategic, commercial, infrastructure and operational consulting, advisory and senior interim management services.   

Our team brings together high-level leaders, who quickly and efficiently develop innovative solutions. 

 We are a community of rail people who are passionate, innovative, friendly, respectful, ethical and optimistic.  We care deeply about the role rail plays in supporting the economy, enhancing the environment, improving safety, protecting the vulnerable, furthering equality and providing reliable, efficient and comfortable travel for passengers. 

RPS believes it is important to foster a diverse workforce that encourages a variety of thoughts, opinions and ideas. Each of us is unique and RPS represents a diverse team of industry veterans, seasoned professionals and new team members with fresh ideas and different perspectives. 

We are proud to support Women in Rail because they have actively promoted diversity in the work-place and this aligns with our core values as an organisation.

Telent is a leading technology company and specialist in the design, build, support and management of the UK’s critical digital infrastructure, drawing on decades of experience in mission critical communications and technology. We enable organisations to create, improve and operate the ICT and communication networks that their businesses and operations depend on.

Telent is at the heart of many of the UK’s and Ireland’s best-known organisations, with a strong focus on key areas including transport, emergency services, network providers and the public sector. Our expertise, accreditations and knowledge make us a trusted partner for organisations at the forefront of the digital revolution.

At Telent we firmly believe in supporting talent wherever it exists and in putting together the best team for the job, whoever they may be.

Women have always played a vital role in making Telent a success, and it’s great to see that their role and influence on our future success continues to grow as does their influence on the UK Rail industry, but we must all do more to encourage women in to our industry and in to more diverse roles.

Celebrating talent and success, in all its forms, is fundamental to encouraging talent to join the UK Rail industry. Highlighting and celebrating the importance of women in Rail and the difference they are making today will help to encourage others in to an industry that needs them, that is why we are excited to be supporting Women in Rail.

All nominees are standout team members who are making a significant contribution to the success of UK Rail today, not because of their gender but for being truly amazing. We wish them all the best of luck tonight and in their careers ahead.

West Midlands Trains (WMT) Ltd is a train operating company that operates two brands: West Midlands Railway (WMR) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR).

WMR is a local railway placing Birmingham at the centre of its network. We run the majority of the local services, as well as direct trains to many of the surrounding towns and cities, including Redditch, Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Telford, and Northampton. Our LNR brand serves the London to Liverpool route on the west coast, stopping at Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Northampton, with the West Midlands at its heart.

West Midlands Trains (WMT) are proud to support the Women in Rail Awards and celebrate all the progress we’ve made as an industry in making the railway a better place to work for everyone. We are dedicated to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and this is embedded across our business through our EDI strategy, agenda and through our commitment to the Women in Rail EDI charter.

We are proud to be sponsoring the Male Rising Star of the Year Award because whilst we are continuously striving to attract more underrepresented groups to join our industry, we also need to recognise and support everyone.  The majority of our workforce, who are men, need to also feel like they belong as part of our EDI initiatives. All individuals are important, and men play an important part as allies to support us with our EDI agenda too.  We want to ensure that everyone feels included in our industry, no matter who they are.

Worldline is a global leader in secure payments and trusted transactions. We are at the forefront of the digital revolution that is shaping new ways of paying, living, doing business and building relationships that pass on trust along the entire payments value chain, enabling sustainable economic growth. Our innovative solutions, rooted in a rock-solid technological base, are environmentally friendly, widely accessible and support social transformation.

At Worldline we foster a culture of trust and belonging where everybody has equal opportunity and support to flourish and is respected and valued for embracing what makes them unique. We are honoured to sponsor the “Inspirational Man of the Year Award” since this aligns with our vision and our conviction that gender equity and opportunity for all means actions not words. Gender equity is a human issue not a women’s issue. Society will move forward with all genders valuing each other and working together. Sponsoring this award to appreciate and celebrate inspirational men leading on building inclusive cultures and making a difference is one of our actions to make a difference. We wish all entrants good luck and are looking forward to the awards event.