Hello and welcome to the Women in Rail West Midlands Regional Group!

WR West Midlands was set up in 2016 and has an ever growing and active membership. The group has been chaired by Claire Burrows since February 2018. Claire is a Legal Director at Shakespeare Martineau and she is supported by a strong and diverse steering committee (details of which are set out below).

In relation to her appointment, Claire commented: “I am delighted to be taking over as Chair of WRWM. 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.”

The group organises a full calendar of events throughout the year (including development workshops, themed presentations and networking events), with the aim to empower women throughout the region to meet their own personal goals and become the best possible version of themselves.

We are always keen to meet new members or volunteers so please come along and get involved!

Kindest regards

WR West Midlands Team
Email: WestMidlands@womeninrail.org

Tracey Barber - Interim Chair

I’m absolutely delighted to be taking on the role of Interim Chair for Women in Rail West Midlands at such an exciting time for both the organisation and the rail industry.

Having recently led the successful evolution of the Women in Rail South Region into the South East and South West regions, I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together. It was a journey driven by collaboration, passion and a shared commitment to creating stronger local communities, and seeing those regions grow into thriving networks has been a real highlight of my Women in Rail experience.

Rail has been a huge part of my career and my life. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working across a broad range of roles, always with a focus on bringing people together, improving experiences, and helping create positive change. Today, as Senior EDI Business Partner at LNER, I am fortunate to combine my passion for the industry with my commitment to building workplaces where everyone feels valued, supported and able to succeed.

What motivates me most is people. I firmly believe that when individuals feel a genuine sense of belonging and know that they matter, they can achieve incredible things. That belief sits at the heart of everything I do, whether that’s championing inclusion, helping develop future talent, supporting colleagues through change, or encouraging new voices to be heard.

My vision for rail is ambitious but simple: a truly inclusive industry where everyone can see themselves, be themselves, and thrive. An industry that reflects the diverse communities it serves, celebrates difference, and creates opportunities for all. While we have made fantastic progress, there is still more to achieve, and I am excited to play my part in helping shape that future.

As I step into this role, I’m looking forward to working alongside our members, allies and partners across the West Midlands to build on the fantastic foundations already in place. Together, we can continue to inspire, support and champion women in rail, while helping to create a railway that is more inclusive, representative and welcoming for everyone.

I can’t wait to get started on the next chapter of this journey.

Diana Maderniece - Project Manager at WM Trains

Diana Maderniece is an APM-qualified Project Manager at WM Trains, delivering property, accessibility, safety and station improvement projects across the rail network. She has experience leading complex programmes involving operational readiness, stakeholder management, project governance and innovative technologies.

Previously, Diana worked within Operational Planning & Transformation at East Midlands Railway, managing service delivery plans during industrial action, major events and disruption.

Diana initially joined Women in Rail East Midlands as a Committee Member with the aim of supporting and inspiring the next generation of rail professionals and future leaders. Building on her involvement within the network, she has recently joined Women in Rail West Midlands as Co Chair, where she is passionate about championing inclusion and leading initiatives that foster career growth, confidence, professional development and collaboration across the rail industry.

Joe Preece, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham

Dr Joe Preece is a Research Fellow in the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education at the University of Birmingham, exploring the intersections between computer science and the rail industry. His primary research interests focus on the integration and analysis of railway data to extract trends and knowledge from large rail-related datasets, covering a variety of areas such as track maintenance, smart ticketing, and anthropology. Joe joined the Women in Rail committee to offer his perspective as a data scientist on how to promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity through data-driven decisions.

Lorraine Warner, Engineering Manager (Rail), WSP

Lorraine has been a committee member of Women in Rail West Midlands Region from the beginning in 2016. She is passionate about encouraging women to join the rail industry and also retaining women within the industry.

Lorraine is an experienced Engineer with 25 years in the rail industry. She has an extensive grounding in signalling which supports the multidisciplinary engineering management she currently undertakes for both client and contractor. Her key skills are in the co-ordination and assurance of multidisciplinary rail schemes, promoting collaboration in order to meet project milestones.

Blaise Elsmore, Systems Engineer, Avanti West Coast

I am a Systems Engineer at Avanti West Coast, working within the Fleet & Engineering team. I have worked in the railway since 2017 and since joining, I have embarked on studying an MSc at the University of Birmingham in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration. I am an Incorporated Engineer with the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and working my way towards becoming Chartered, which hopefully I can achieve once I have completed my MSc. I am passionate about encouraging more females into STEM roles as I believe that a diverse workforce brings together such a vast range of qualities to create a better work environment and innovate through different ways of thinking and approaches.

Monica Barbosa, Client Services Director, RSS Infrastructure

Monica has spent more than 14 years working in transport, bringing a passion for building relationships, growing businesses and championing people. Since joining the rail industry in 2018, she has been a strong advocate for the supply chain, particularly SMEs and apprenticeships, helping to raise the profile of the next generation of rail talent.

Now Client Account Lead for Transport for London and East West Rail at Jacobs, Monica works closely with key clients to build trusted, long-term partnerships. Her career has included leading business development across Europe and the Middle East, securing major rail contracts, and helping grow industry membership and engagement by more than 45%.

Alongside her professional responsibilities, Monica has championed a regional STEM programme that engaged more than 245 students from SEN and mainstream schools. Recognised by the industry, the initiative reflects her commitment to inspiring young people, promoting inclusion and supporting the development of a more diverse and accessible talent pipeline for the future of rail.

Passionate about inclusion, gender equality and youth empowerment, Monica is committed to creating a more diverse, connected and sustainable rail industry, with a strong focus on ESG principles and creating opportunities for future generations. In 2021, her contribution was recognised when she was named a finalist in the Future Faces of Industry Young Professional Awards.

Julia Whittaker, Learning and Development Professional

Julia joined the West Midlands committee in 2022 and she is keen to support learning and development in the Rail Industry. Julia has worked as a learning and development professional for over 18 years helping organisations achieve the impact they need from training and skills. Julia has worked on the development of new apprenticeship standards, National Occupational Standards (NOS) and qualifications both in the rail industry and also several other industries within the passenger transport and engineering sectors.

Chloe Denham, Innovation Programme Manager, Network Rail

Chloe is an Innovation Programme Manager at Network Rail. Working as part of the Central Rail Systems Alliance that deliver PL & S&C Track Renewals where she has an opportunity to work with Capital Delivery, Maintenance, Research & Development and Suppliers in delivering innovation projects. She has spent more than 20 years working in the industry finding her passion in Change and Innovation where she can bring people together to collaborate in solving challenging problems to the business.

Joining Women in Rail in early 2023 Chloe is looking forward to promoting and supporting initiatives on the West Midlands to make the industry a diverse and inclusive place for Women to work.