Background:

A graduate in Business Economics from the University of Paisley, Fiona started her HR career in retail before spending nine years at RBS leading the HR support for Direct Line Financial Services and Lombard Direct.

Fiona then moved to be Senior Human Capital Consultant for Pricewaterhouse Coopers before joining Lloyds TSB as Head of HR for the telephony division before moving to head up the reward team for the retail bank. Fiona joined First ScotRail in 2006 as HR Director and currently leads a team of 35 HR and Training professionals supporting over 4000 Scottish based staff. Key achievements at First ScotRail have included achieving Investors in People accreditation and the implementation of an end to end people strategy which has led to excellent business results.

Fiona is a Fellow of the CIPD and is continuing her personal development having recently commenced an Executive Masters in Public Service Management at Queen Margaret University. Fiona has also been recognised for her HR expertise having been awarded the HR Network Scotland HR Director of the Year 2007 accolade and the ASA Excellence Award in 2008.

Fiona is married with 2 girls and resides in Paisley, Scotland.

Background:

In 1987 Eugene entered the Recruitment Industry as a Chief Accountant, before assuming the role of Financial Director of McGinley in 1990. He then took over the role of Managing Director of McGinley in August 2004 and continues to oversee the supply of some 1,500 workers to rail, construction and aerospace related markets.

With over 20 years experience in the Rail, Construction and Aerospace markets and considerable in-depth knowledge of the Rail market, Eugene has helped McGinley to overcome many industry challenges and stated that “One of the key challenges we face today is to improve our standards of service for tomorrow. Because standards are there to improve upon, we are determined to find the best solutions for our clients”. This forward thinking and drive by Eugene has assisted McGinley into becoming one of the top suppliers of labour into the rail industry, delivering on average 1200 workers a week.

Background:

Craig King has in excess of 20 years experience in the Signal and Telecommunications Engineering field, from a Trainee Technician to becoming the Head of S&T Training Division and then to Technical Director of Catalis.

His career path has allowed him to engage a full spectrum of areas within a demanding profession and has enabled him to understand the diverse training and business needs of our clients.

Craig values candidates gaining an increased understanding of a subject and seeing their performance levels increase by intense training on complex equipment. His principles and core values encourage excellent performance within individuals and teams to ensure enhanced business performance when delegates return to their employing organisations.

Background:

Network Rail controls the national rail network infrastructure, with responsibility for maintenance, operations, renewals and enhancements.

Victoria was involved in the initial establishment of the company in 2002, including name, image, branding and subsequent promotion of the company.  Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, she is a member of the Executive Committee and is responsible for all aspects of the Government & Corporate Affairs programme, including corporate social responsibility, external stakeholders, politicians, media, internal communications, external liaison, community relations, marketing services, and branding.

Background:

Head of Technical Services for the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), Ian’s considerable experience covers a number of mechanical engineering disciplines. Prior to his present post, he was Head of Engineering and Professional Studies at Waltham Forest College of Further Education, London.

Ian has authored several engineering related textbooks and continues to publish engineering articles in industry press. Part of Ian’s current role is promoting SOE’s technical and engineering aspects in relation to the rail industry, whilst highlighting opportunities that exist through the conduit of technical seminars, discussion forums and technical publications.

Background:

John Dennis is a career railwayman having joined the industry as a graduate management trainee. He worked initially at ground level in the West Midlands, managing the carriage servicing depot at Oxley, Wolverhampton at the time of the inception of the Euston/Wolverhampton InterCity services, before moving on to Tyseley in a similar role. He was then appointed as Area Freight Manager at Stoke-on-Trent.

Subsequent roles included Customer Relations Manager at British Rail HQ working for Chairmen Sir Peter Parker and Sir Bob Reid, following which he worked for Regional Railways and Railfreight Distribution in marketing and business development.
Since privatisation John worked for 6 years for The Railway Forum as its Communications Director before moving to ATOC in 2003.
He is a graduate of the University of London and a Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Background:

Andy Milne has a comprehensive background in railway communications. At Express PR he has worked with Heathrow Express, Silverlink Trains, Catalis Rail Training and many other railway companies.

Since 1997 he has edited RailStaff Select, driving an agenda of pro-rail, up beat, stories designed to support and encourage all who work in railways.

Andy is passionate about the people who work in the industry and the need to promulgate the true, behind-the-scenes stories of what the rail industry really offers. His work as a motivational speaker underscores a determination to see people exceed their goals and the industry he serves prosper.