Why did you get into a career in rail engineering?

I left school at the age of 15 after completing my GCSEs and I applied for a railway engineering apprenticeship, which I started 2 weeks after my 16th Birthday. The rest is now history!

How has your career in rail shaped you as a person?

When I was much younger, my Dad would often cite lines of verse to my Brother, Sister and I from a poem called ‘Desiderata’ (Desiderata: Original Text). It has a line for every eventuality – One of the lines of verse suggests: “Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”

This has been the case for me. My career has brought me many friends, much support, a greater fascination in engineering, the ability to grow as a person and the ability to feel like I am doing something that is genuinely worthwhile to help society.

Were there any lessons as a rail engineer you learned the hard way?

Many, Many, Many. Nothing came easy to me, and you have to work hard, be prepared to make mistakes, form meaningful relationships and keep positive.

Recently, I recorded the key lessons I consider my younger self would have appreciated (with the benefit of what I think and know now). I use these when I am talking to apprentices, grads, etc. See the screenshot below – I have shared them.

A summary of tips

1. Find your passion – I found mine.
2. Listen to others, but make up your own mind about what you want to do.
3. ALWAYS have a plan.
4. The SAFE way is the best way. Be proactive here, really focus it.
5. In chaos is opportunity – look for it.
6. Be and stay positive in your dealings. Many don’t.
7. Every interaction/relationship is an opportunity. If you chose it to be.
8. Keep ‘sharpening the saw’ – Earn and Learn.
9. Help others behind you. Sustainable ‘professional’ development.
10. Never forget your ‘life balance’. It will not let you forget.
11. Regret nothing, you are learning even in hard times.
12. Confront your own ‘limiting beliefs’. Take risks, bet on yourself.
13. You are as good as your people. Enable them to be brilliant.
14. Never give up. It is possible.
15. Have FUN!

What is your proudest rail engineering moment?

I have had many proud moments, too many to mention. If I was to name one, It would be this: When I was at school, my mate said to me that he wanted to be a chartered accountant (I didn’t know what that was), it made me think – I wanted to be a chartered engineer.

When I left school, my Dad was not convinced that doing an apprenticeship was the right thing for me – He was sat on the fence. I never lost sight of my commitment to myself, and I continuously developed myself methodically over a period of 17 years (I have all of the development action plans, and there are current PWI members who will know this story and helped me) from starting my apprenticeship to becoming a Chartered Engineer (with the ICE, the PWI couldn’t certify at that time).

I took my Dad with me to 1 Great George St (ICE) in London on the day I picked up my C Eng certificate and he was absolutely thrilled. Sadly, he was very poorly at the time and he passed away 3 weeks later. I’ll never forget it, he was prouder than me!

What are your thoughts regarding the future of rail engineering?

It is a fabulous career, so interesting and so much opportunity. But, three things for me:

1. We must never relent on safety. Ever. It is never a given.
2. And, we must really challenge ourselves hard on cost and our ability to ‘over engineer’. We have got into an unconscious mindset where we focus more on perfect engineering, but take our eye off the cost ball – Look at HS2 and the damage that the last 12 months has done for the reputation of rail as a low carbon, high reliability, modest-cost solution to a global climate emergency. This careless (unconscious?) management of our collective reputations will take years to recover, and we don’t have the time. I am on an Avanti service from Manchester to Euston (near Stoke) now as I type this and we have a perfect engineering scenario that we may never experience. And the same must be said for the conventional Network – It just costs too much – How do we reduce the cost base, whilst better managing aging assets? And for light rail, I guess bus lower carbon and affordable bus technology will always chase light rail into extinction?
3. And we must develop the next generation of diverse and talented professionals to take our railway and profession forwards. We are still overly male and white in orientation and we must open up career pathways to everyone so that we have a solid pipeline of talent that make the best decisions for our railway(s).

What is the Royal Academy of Engineering and what got your started on your journey to Fellowship?

For me, being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering is a special moment. And I am grateful to all of those who have helped me over the years, there are many (and many in the PWI). I mentioned above that I have had many proud moments, and this is another one, possibly the pinnacle of my career so far. And it has happened at an inflection point for me.

I am probably in the last 1/3rd of my career now (I know, I don’t look it….. 😊), and I consider what can I do in my remaining career that can generate the most value – to the profession, to society and more? Building on my solid roots (as an ex-apprentice, being professionally qualified as a mechanical, electrical, civil and pway engineer, and having seen the railway from bottom to top and over many years), I can work with the Fellowship to advance the decarbonisation of transport, to drive the safety agenda, to make diversity and inclusion a natural outcome, to harness technology and to promote what we all do.

How has your time with the PWI prepared you for your time with the Royal Academy?

The PWI has bought me solid friendships and for many years. And with those friendships have come those people that have been willing to teach, to share and to help me develop professionally. It has bought structured professional development and it bought me personally the privilege to become the President at a point in time, for which I remain very grateful. And from that view point, it enabled me to see and progress a pathway to the Royal Academy of Engineering.