How did you start your career in the rail industry?       

While public transport in general and rail especially has always interested me, and it has been a theme throughout all my studies, I have followed what I would say is a non-traditional path into the rail industry, with a non-technical background.

I started in the humanities and social sciences with a strong focus on environment and equality, and later a masters program in sustainability where my focus was on urban development, energy and transport systems. My approach to transportation systems was mostly from a political or environmental point of view, and less so from a technical standpoint.

After my studies and a few professional detours along the way, I was eventually hired as the Director of the Swedish light rail organisation, as my background was needed to bring all the different actors of rail projects together. Which, coincidentally, is an important first lesson in rail projects – you need much more than people with technical backgrounds to get projects off the ground.

Joining this small organisation was my first step in the rail industry – but not my last.

Tell us a little about your career experiences to date

I have continuously felt throughout my career that I always have something to bring to the table, but it hasn’t always been easy.

In the very early stages of my career, somewhere between studies and finding a steady career path, I very often came across job advertisements describing tasks that I knew I (or others with similar backgrounds) would be perfectly capable of doing, but where you were automatically disqualified for not having an engineering background.

I was able to be persistent and now have many successful projects behind me and many exciting ones in front of me. I was able to grow a small Swedish organisation into a larger Nordic organisation and helped realise many of the Nordic projects in different ways.

Moving from working in a small organization to a company with a global footprint is quite a change and one I’m very happy to have made after ten years. What was important for me was to find a place where there is room to grow and where I am challenged every day.

Working with the North American projects are quite different from European ones, but I feel that all my combined experience from previous positions, big and small, has prepared me well for the challenge.

What does an average day look like for you?

My days vary quite a bit. Since I work with the North American market, I work very closely with my American colleagues and, due to the time difference, my mornings are usually free of meetings, which provides me time to focus on documents, emails or whatever else that requires a quiet focus.

Afternoons and evenings are usually spent on different calls. However, my days sometimes consist of travel and, considering I am responsible for customer contacts, those days will obviously look very different depending on what I need to do.

Why did you want to present at a RailEI technical seminar?

I thoroughly enjoy every opportunity I get to discuss light rail and trams, especially when the perspective is wider than just discussing the vehicle.

I enjoy creating an exchange between the speaker and the participants, and while I am no oracle who knows the answer to every light rail-related question, I always look forward to questions that will challenge me to think in new ways.

What’s the best bit of advice you have for someone looking to work in the rail industry?

Just do it – there’s not a more interesting sector to work in if you ask me.

The rail sector is much more open to different educational backgrounds now than it was when I got started. All types of backgrounds are needed as a project is so much more than the vehicle.

We need people to figure out the environmental impact, to study how commuter patterns work and change, people’s attitude to public transport, the economic impact of development around the line, financing experts, as well as many engineering disciplines.

So, find a path that works for you and jump in!

What are some of the biggest challenges of your current role?

One of the largest challenges is seeing cities and regions that are in great need of rail infrastructure not receive it.

Where buses are overflowing or where rail lines could create new needed links to provide better access to jobs, education, etc.

What do you enjoy most about your current role?

Being a part of the solution to a problem. Seeing ideas and concepts coming together.

And I am constantly amazed by the amount of pure talent people have in the railway sector. It’s very inspiring.

And also, I get to work with trains every day. What’s not to like?

Our sincere thanks to Hans for taking the time to sit down with us and for his support of this Seminar.