Siemens Mobility today announced the appointment of Syeda Ghufran who joins as the new Director of Asset Management and Assurance for Customer Services.

Syeda brings a wealth of expertise to her new role along with her strong background in the rail industry and a track record of success. Prior to joining Siemens, Syeda was the Fleet Engineering Director at Hitachi Rail and became the youngest, and first female, Engineering Director at Scotrail in 2018.  

In addition to her technical expertise, Syeda is highly skilled in maintenance optimisation and digitalisation. She will leverage her knowledge and experience to optimise maintenance processes and harness digital advancements to drive efficiency and effectiveness in asset management. 

Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility and MD of Rolling Stock and Customer Services said;  

“We are honoured to have Syeda join our team, her experience and expertise will undoubtedly drive success and further strengthen the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction, safety, and innovation. 

Syeda’s appointment reflects our unwavering commitment to service excellence and delivering the highest standard of customer service. We achieve this through the talent and expertise of our people.” 

Syeda Ghufran, Director of Asset Management and Assurance for Customer Services said;  

“I’m excited to join Siemens Mobility at a time when the company has ambitious plans to transform rail travel and transport in the UK through strong investment, new product offerings in rolling stock, infrastructure and digital.

I am looking forward to working on our fleet reliability improvement plans, digital asset management and the development of new traction products such as our Verve platform which will help deliver de-carbonisation plans for our customers.” 

Siemens Mobility has a strong local footprint in the UK with three manufacturing facilities in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Ashby, Leicestershire and & Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, and more than 30 sites employing over 5,000 people and 3,000 suppliers, 47% of which are UK-based SMEs. Siemens Mobility trains make up almost a quarter of UK passenger trains and e320 Velaro Eurostar trains.    

Image credit: Siemens Mobility

Chiltern Railways is pleased to announce three new additions to the Executive team.  

Tony Baxter has joined Chiltern as Operations Director. Tony has extensive experience as an operational leader in several sectors, most recently at Northern Trains, where he was the Regional Director for Yorkshire and Humberside. During this time, he was responsible for the train and station operations teams as well as leading external stakeholder relations for the region. Tony will be responsible for Chiltern’s timetable planning, performance, operational delivery, and station management. Tony brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been Regional Operations Director at Royal Mail as part of a fifteen-year career at the company. Tony is also a trustee for St. Luke’s Cheshire Hospice, leading income generation for the charity, which supports people with life limiting illnesses and end of life care in the region.  

Andy Camp has joined Chiltern as the permanent Commercial & Customer Strategy Director, and is responsible delivering Chiltern’s commercial and customer strategies, with key priorities including modernising Chiltern’s station portfolio and customer experience, while delivering delivering sustainable growth by attracting more customers to the network. Andy has worked in the rail industry for ten years, having been Commercial Director at West Midlands Trains and previously Greater Anglia, and prior to joining rail he worked in various industries in senior commercial roles.  

Tim Sayer joins Chiltern as Engineering and Safety Director. His key duties include leading the plan to modernise Chiltern’s trains by making the case for new, low or zero emission trains. As well as working for various franchise owning groups over twenty years on the railway, Tim spent part of his early career at Chiltern from 2006 to 2009, so returns to a familiar environment as he leads on Chiltern’s ambitious Right Route 2030 vision to deliver a modernised and decarbonised train fleet, in addition to maintaining Chiltern’s culture of strong operational and personal safety.  

Richard Allan, Managing Director of Chiltern Railways, said:  

“I am delighted that Tony, Tim and Andy have joined Chiltern and already they are making a significant contribution to the performance of the organisation as experienced Directors and leaders in their respective functions.  

“This is a critical period for Chiltern as we push for sustainable growth in the number of customers using our services and make the case to replace a fleet of trains with the highest average age in Britain with new trains. 

“We are determined to achieve our vision of an easier, greener and better service for our customers and colleagues by making our 2030 vision a reality.”

Image credit: Chiltern Railways

Marc Winterton has been appointed Managing Director, Park Signalling. 

With over 30 years’ technical engineering and commercial experience in digital and telecommunication technologies, for companies including Cable & Wireless, Globecast, Arcadis Consulting and Arup, Marc brings significant experience across a broad spectrum of telecommunication engineering, senior leadership and international and domestic product development to the business.

He will lead the ongoing development of Park Signalling’s specialist control systems and digital solutions for heavy and light rail networks, and accelerate the extension of these performance improvement technologies into new industries and geographies.

Marc joined Park Signalling in June 2023 as Commercial Director as part of a long-term succession plan for the business, that saw him take over from incumbent Managing Director, Andrew Wright, on 1 November.

Andrew is supporting Marc’s transition into the Managing Director role for the remainder of 2023 and will then move into a Business Consultant role, supporting Park Signalling one day a week and stepping back from day to day operations. 

Unipart Technologies Group, Managing Director, Dr David McGorman said: “I am really pleased to add Marc to the Unipart Technologies Group leadership team and to have his experience and support leading our Park Signalling business into the future. 

“His extensive engineering, technical development and leadership experience will support the continued growth and development of Park Signalling’s specialist control systems and digital solutions for heavy and light rail networks, and accelerate the extension of these performance improvement technologies into new industries and geographies.”

Marc Winterton, Managing Director, Park Signalling said: “I am delighted to take on the leadership of Park Signalling, a Unipart Company with an industry leading reputation and portfolio of performance improvement products, services and solutions for railway signalling, industrial control systems and communication technology.

“I look forward to working with our engineers, consultants and technology specialists to continue developing innovative new products for use in the rail sector, and building on our expertise in obsolescence and digital control systems to support other industries in the UK and around the world.

“At the heart of the Park Signalling business and the way we work is The Unipart Way, our culture of engagement and continuous improvement that combines people and process excellence with technology and system solutions to create real differentiation for new and existing customers and industries.”

Unipart Technologies Group, Managing Director, Dr David McGorman added: “I would like to thank Andrew for his leadership of the Park Signalling business over the last six years.

“His specialist technical and rail industry knowledge and commitment to developing strong customer relationships positions us well for future growth, as we extend the application of our digital communication and control solutions to new industries and geographies.”

Image credit: Unipart / Park Signalling

Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that Claire Mann, who is currently Managing Director of South Western Railway (SWR), has been appointed TfL’s Chief Operating Officer.

At a crucial time for London’s transport network as it supports the capital’s recovery from the pandemic, Claire will be responsible for ensuring TfL’s directly operated and contracted services and operations are planned and managed effectively to provide a safe, efficient, reliable and high-quality service to customers.

The role will see Claire lead the planning and delivery of services on the Tube, Elizabeth line, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) as well the bus and tram networks, cable car and Santander Cycle Hire. She will also have responsibility for the management of TfL roads and road infrastructure, policing and security of the transport network and TfL’s regulation of the taxi and private hire industry.

Claire, who has more than two decades of experience in the transport sector and has held a number of senior leadership roles in the rail industry, returns to TfL after three years at South Western Rail (SWR) – one of the UK’s largest train operating companies.

At SWR, she led a business with an annual turnover of £770m, comprised of 5,500 colleagues and running more than 1,500 train services a day from London’s busiest railway station, Waterloo. Claire adapted the business to a post-pandemic environment and steered SWR to becoming the first Train Operating Company to launch a roadmap to Net Zero by 2040. She oversaw the introduction of a £1bn fleet of new trains, which are being rolled out across the SWR suburban network, including the construction of a state-of-the-art train care facility, and led the £26m modernisation of the Island Line on the Isle of Wight.

At TfL, Claire served as Director of Bus Operations between 2017 and 2021, where she was responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the capital’s 9,200 -strong bus fleet – Europe’s largest.

Her previous roles include Director for DLR, Operations and Safety Director at Arriva Trains Wales, General Manager East at the former First Great Western (now GWR) and Customer Service Director at London Overground.

Claire is a non-executive Director on the Railway Safety Standards Board, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and a Board Governor of the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators.

Glynn Barton, who has led TfL’s operations successfully on an interim basis since October 2022, will continue as Chief Operating Officer until Claire joins TfL. He will then take on the role of Director of Buses, leading the development, planning and delivery of bus services across the capital. The current Director of Buses, Louise Cheeseman, retires on December 15 2023.

Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “Claire is an outstanding transport professional with deep experience of improving customer service. At a time when customer numbers continue to rise and we work to support London’s post-pandemic recovery and attract new customers, Claire’s customer focus and wide-ranging public transport industry background will play a vital role in our work. We are delighted to have her return to TfL in this key leadership position.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Glynn Barton, who has done a fantastic job of running our operations on an interim basis and who will now go on to run the largest bus network in Europe during a time that we are working to adapt our offering to further raise ridership and support growth in outer London. Glynn is an outstanding operational leader with a wealth of experience. I am hugely grateful for the leadership he has shown and will continue to show in his new role leading such a vital part of TfL’s offer.”

Claire Mann said: “I’m delighted to be returning to TfL to lead its operations, which are key to the success of the London economy, at this important time. I am passionate about delivering an excellent customer experience across all of TfL’s varied and vital services and helping TfL and London to prosper. I look forward to meeting and working with all of the colleagues who work so hard every day to provide Londoners and millions of visitors with the seamless and reliable services that London is renowned for around the world. I would like to thank the incredible team at South Western Railway for all their support over the last three years and am proud of all we have achieved together.”

Image credit: TfL