Dear Colleagues,

WR West Midlands is entering its third year (already! Where does the time go?) and we are looking forward to evolving the group by means of development workshops, themed presentations and networking events that will continue to empower women throughout the region to meet their own personal goals and become the best possible version of themselves.

The WRWM steering group has been chaired by Nicki Crossland, MD Qi Performance Ltd, who’s expertise in International HR, Leadership Performance and Executive Coaching have held her in good stead to start this group and with the help of a number of incredibly talented women from all areas of the rail industry and beyond they have shaped the region so that it can provide guidance and support to a diverse range of women (and men).

Nicki has now decided to step down from her role as Chair for the region and hands the reigns over to Claire Burrows. Claire is a Legal Director at Shakespeare Martineau. Many of you will have met Claire at the WRWM launch event hosted by Shakespeare Martineau back in April 2016 and also the Empowerment workshop she organised in October 2017. Claire’s drive and passion for promoting the ethos that Women in Rail stands for will enable her to continue and, no doubt, grow on the foundations that have been securely laid by Nicki and the rest of the team and we wish Claire every success in this role. Nicki will continue to support and assist the group as part of the committee.

In relation to her appointment, Claire commented: “I am delighted to be taking over as Chair of WRWM and look forward to building on all the great work Nicki has done to date. Our ambition is to reach out to and engage with more women (and men) who are connected to the rail sector in the West Midlands, to support and develop the great talent we have in our local industry and to inspire others to join it.”

We are also pleased to announce three new members to the steering committee:

Tessa McInness. Senior Legal advisor Alstom Group

Alexandra Tranter. Apprentice Engagement Manager, National College High Speed Rail.

Kathy Howarth. Business Development Manager, National College High Speed Rail.

The rest of the committee consists of:

Claire Burrows. Legal Director, SHMA – Chair of WR West Midlands 

Nicki Crossland. MD, Qi Performance Ltd

Rose Rees. Training & Development Manager MMA

Tina Bandarchichamkhaleh. Design Engineer, Siemens

Liz Melles. Contracts Manager Fleet Management Group, Virgin Trains

Rachel Green. Business Development Manager, Auctus Management Group

Alexia Binns. Commercial Lawyer, HS2 Ltd

Lorraine Warner. Senior Project Engineer, Network Rail

Suzanne Thorneycroft. Executive Assistant, Qi Performance Ltd

Finally, we, the “Committee”, would like to thank you all for your continued support to WRWM and we look forward to another successful year.

Kindest regards

WR West Midlands Team