Rail Manager of the Year

Name: Terry Beveridge
Job title: LU Resourcing Manager
Company: London Underground
Location: 55 Broadway, London SW1

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"I would like to nominate Terry for this award based on his commitment to assisting any team member – not just his direct reports – in dealing with any issues no matter how time consuming and complicated.

He goes out of his way to help and we all know him as the one source of true and correct information. We often need to make difficult decisions and Terry is always happy to give the final word and in doing so takes responsibility for the consequences of those decisions.

Terry is extremely approachable and regularly lifts the team with his humour. He has assisted in making this a department that we love to work in and with his support we know we can overcome any of the many challenges that we will face in the future".

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"Terry invests his very limited time in the whole team, not just those who report to him directly.

Terry has assisted in creating an environment where all team members are more than happy to ‘drop everything’ to help out in areas outside of their own expertise when there is a need.

The opinion of Terry’s team is that he has greatly contributed to creating an environment where we all strive to do our best because we want to, not because we have to".

Date of event: 26-8-10

Name: David Caw
Job title: Head of Scoping and Design
Company: London Underground Limited
Location: Glasshouse Yard, London

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Since stepping into the void left by the sudden departure of his predecessor, David has led his small team through turbulent waters, motivating the team to dramatically improve their speed and quality output as well as providing the enthusiasm and cheerfulness needed to keep the team focussed. He has shown utter dedication to his tasks and his team, nurturing and developing their abilities, instilling a hard working ethic and a desire to continually improve. Faced with challenging fiscal constraints and an ever changing scope of work, David directed the diversification of his team, and oversaw them taking on the scoping aspects of Lifts and Escalators - with dramatic success – an area previously fraught with difficulty, confusion and delay. To achieve this whilst continuing to maintain his wider scoping deliverables, taking on delivery aspects for major DfT compliance schemes, reducing his staff headcount and improving his team's morale, is a massive achievement. He has been the engine of his department this year and his dynamic, can-do, helpful and professional approach has reaped significant benefits both for his team and the travelling public. He has my strong recommendation for this award".

Date of event: 24-8-10

Name: Ian Brookes
Job title: Fleet Manager
Company: LOROL
Location: Willesden

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
Lorol has been a busy time of late. The franchise only started in November 2007, the set up of the rail concession being brand new for us. We also had to manage the hand back of our current fleets, as well as the introduction of both the Class 378 electrostars and the Class 172 turbostars.

Ian Brookes runs Willesden depot. His commercial and engineering acumen has been key to Lorol’s achievements.

An example of his work has been to introduce third party work, allowing Willesden to gain an income from the venture, as well as maintaining the staff and overheads at the depot. Ian has been involved with not only going out there and getting the work for the depot, but managing the team at the depot, who have worked hard to produce the excellent results for companies that we carry out maintenance for.

His skills managing the new fleet, the delaps work on the old fleet, and bringing third party work to Willesden is not the reason why he deserves an award. I have nominated Ian Brookes not only because of his achievements, but because he is indeed ‘manager of the year.’

He has had to adapt to the continuous change in Lorol in this short time frame, and manages his teams to do the same. At times of high pressure for the company, Ian does something outstanding. He maintains morale in his team. I haven’t quite figured out how he does this, but speaking as part of his team, you do feel like you want to get the work done and that your commitment is appreciated. This, I believe is something quite special about working for Ian at Willesden depot.

Ian also buys all his team bacon butties on a Friday. What better a reason to vote for him than that!

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"I would like to nominate my boss Ian because he is approachable in all situations. He is flexable and I feel that he goes above and beyond his role. He is also dedicated to his role and I would love to become like him one day in my career.

The example I would like to you use is that throughout my illness (and at the time I most needed him in mid September 2009 when I was going in for a major operation), he was very understanding and helped to uplift my spirits".

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"He is a boss who is approachable and knowledgeable, a person you'd go the extra mile for without hesitation".

Date of event: 30-3-10

Name: Simon Cassidy
Job title: Driver Manager
Company: First Great Western
Location: Bristol temple Meads

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“Although Simon has only been recently appointed into this role from the Driver grade I find him very approachable, committed to personal development and make our industry a safer place to work.
He's a great listener and pro-active in managing the Driver team in a positive way. If ever there's an incident Simon is the first to pull on a HV vest and roll his sleeves up and get stuck in. I am always met with a smile and a firm handshake by Simon who respects all around him. There is no specific incident or event as he is consistently professional each day at work”.

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"Always willing to help across all grades, and approachable".

Date of event: 23-8-10

Name: Arthur Callan
Job title: Construction Manager
Company: LUL
Location: Paddington

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Intelligent, cheerful and very helpful".
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"I am most happy to support this nomination. Arthur has worked for me for just over a year in a Construction Manager role for Projects at Baker Street and Paddington, and has shown great dedication to the task. He is very willing to “get stuck in”, and not just observe from the sidelines. He displays a flexible attitude, willing to switch from day shifts to night shifts at short notice as the need arises. He is a great asset to my team".

Date of event: 30-3-10

Name: Pat Walsh
Job title: Duty Station Manager
Company: London Underground
Location: Canary Wharf

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“This lady has ability to work and lead the team in tough times, she manages staff in a fair and consistent way, she is productive within the team and leads by example. Her ethics are spot on and in the right place in today’s climate. She also works extremely hard in community projects with the animal farm close to her home, where she works long hours putting back into the community.
She is loyal, hard working and deserves to be recognised for her managerial skills she processes”.

Date of event: 18-8-10

Name: Trevor Beevers
Job title: Customer Relations Team Leader
Company: Northern Rail
Location: Leeds

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Trevor is truly a Northern star to work with, as all those throughout the company who know him will testify. He is honest, down to earth, takes everything in his stride and treats everyone as a friend, no matter who they are or what job they do. His wry sense of humour can (and does!) keep everyone laughing even in difficult and busy times, and his can-do attitude rubs off on everyone who has the pleasure of working with him.

After being on the railway for many years, Trevor has built up an incredible knowledge of the rail industry, its systems and everyone in it – if Trevor doesn’t know it, it isn’t worth knowing! But he is willing to share all this knowledge with less experienced colleagues who join the team to make sure that they can also offer a first class service to customers. His patience and understanding are equally evident whether he’s explaining things to a new member of staff or a customer.

The Customer Relations department is currently several staff members short, but Trevor almost single-handedly manages the team’s workload and rosters the team’s shifts; he makes calls to customers who have complex problems and deals with challenging and often critically important customer correspondence; he regularly helps customers to recover their valuable lost property such as laptops, mobile phones, luggage and even reunites children with their favourite toys; he calms down irate customers and helps customers with additional needs book assistance for their journeys. And in between all that, he makes sure everyone in the team is well looked after and has everything they need to do their job.

Even over the Christmas period, when the team was badly affected by the snow and cold weather, his commitment and leadership was second to none. He remained upbeat and good-humoured, and maintained his passion and drive to uphold the highest of standards, for both customers and the business.

But that’s Trevor all over – upbeat, good-humoured and a genuinely inspiring person to work with".

Date of event: 12-8-10

Name: David Fulton
Job title: Driver Team Manager
Company: Northern Rail
Location: Hull

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"I was the driver of a train that struck and killed a person on the line near Hessle. The area was in the shade of the Humber Bridge and as a result was very dark, I did not find out the full details of what had happened until I returned home. I was informed over the phone by the on call DTM; I was also told by the police that it might be a murder inquiry as rope had been found at the scene.

I was alone at this time and needed someone to talk to who might be able to slow my thoughts down. I called the Hull DTM David Fulton. Mr. Fulton was not working that night and was also not on call but he stopped what he was doing and took plenty of time to talk to me, he offered sense and reason and even offered to call round there and then.

I was away from work for several weeks following this incident. Mr. Fulton made regular calls and arranged for medical and counselling support. He drove me to York for the initial appointment as I did not feel able to travel by train at that time. I know there is a pressure to get employees ‘on sick’ back to work as I understand the financial impact on the company and I am very grateful that I did not feel this pressure to return before I was ready.

I called into Hull after one of the counselling sessions and David took time away from his work to ask how things were going. At this point I was able to admit that I was not coping and that I didn’t understand why. This was a huge turning point for me, for the very first time I was able to admit to someone who understood the situation, and to myself, exactly how I really felt. David made arrangements to review the counsellor and suggested alternate options.

Shortly after this chat I decided it was time to return to work. I was confident that I would be looked after and re-introduced at the right pace. My return to work was handled excellently; Mr. Fulton took more time out to accompany me on a few trips over various routes and allowed me to feel comfortable enough to get back into the seat and start mixing with my colleagues and friends again.

I would like to acknowledge the fact that Northern allows recovery time and offers external support for such incidents and I am very grateful for this but I believe Mr. Fulton went more than the extra mile, both on the night of the incident and for the weeks following. I am sure his actions, kind words and advice have helped with the healing process and allowed me to return to work much sooner than might have been”.

Date of event: 12-8-10

Name: Mark Lindahl
Job title: Investigation Manager
Company: Bridgeway Consulting Ltd
Location: Nottingham

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Mark took up the role of Investigations manager in October 2009, with responsibility for the site investigation and geotechnical investigation services currently delivered by Bridgeway Consulting Ltd.

His opening remit was to grow the operational capacity of the department, diversify the existing client base and continue to promote Bridgeway’s reputation for delivery focus.

Mark brings with him a wealth of experience in track bed investigation work, which he has imparted to team members by leading from the front. He leads by example and is often to found on the ballast as part of the team to give guidance, focus and motivation to those around him.

The world of site investigation is hard work! A fact not lost to Mark, who demands consistently high standards from those around him and working as part of his team. Staff development has seen Mark’s training skills brought to the fore to implement measures whereby investigation team members and operatives receiving hands-on training with our own plant.

Mark has driven plant acquisition, removing reliance upon third party suppliers and supported by business cases developed to demonstrate commercial viability in each case. Mark has excellent business development skills, frequently supporting myself as Consultancy Services Director at Client meetings. His no nonsense approach provides Clients with reassurance that he will ensure delivery of their requirements.

Mark has implemented processes and procedures with a proven track record and has consistently sought to improve the quality of products offered by the department. Examples include his work to address the custody chain of extracted samples from site, with all stages now subject to clear documentary record and with dedicated storage areas now established at Bridgeway HQ.

As Mark’s line manager it is hard to see how he could have moved his department further forward in the relatively short timescales since his arrival. This is testament to Mark’s abilities which the business is keen to support.

Turnover has seen substantial increase despite the poor state of the marketplace at present – this alone would be sufficient to identify excellent managerial skills.
Mark takes personal responsibility for his team and has brought other key members of staff into the business who share his drive and enthusiasm.

I have no hesitation in recommending Mark for the award of rail Manager of the year and feel confident that his nomination will be supported, not only those in the business, but by Clients and other Rail sector with whom he has worked".

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“Very knowledgeable individual and a great help, safe pair of hands”

Date of event: 11-8-10

Name: Nic Biondi
Job title: West Coast Delivery Manager
Company: Bridgeway Consulting Ltd
Location: Nottingham

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Nic is the Bridgeway Delivery Manager for the West Coast Main Line and he is responsible for managing a team of 40+ staff and ensuring that Possessions are delivered for Network Rail.

Nic and the team are responsible for delivering highly complex and demanding possessions every night of the week. His leadership and commitment are demonstrated by the excellent results achieved by his team as a whole. His passion and perseverance serve him well and all possessions were delivered with zero AFR.

Nic has a proven record of delivery and often coping with last minute changes that present safety and logistical challenges. His team has been developed to make the most of the individual skills to strengthen the team as a whole. Nid has become adept at ensuring talent within the team is recognised and developed. All the key members of the team have come from internal promotion.

Nic has worked hard to ensure that he has good team of people that have a proven track record of delivery. He is not one dimensional in his approach; he ticks the boxes in all areas from Planning & Delivery though to Safety & Efficiency. He is the type of Manager that revels in the satisfaction of successful delivery. Never afraid to take on fresh challenges, wherever in the country they may be, Nic is always willing to get into the thick of the action and make things happen.

Nic is a real people person, an outstanding Manager and he would be a very worthy winner of the Rail Manager of The Year 2010".

Date of event: 9-8-10

Name: Ian Marcham
Job title: Area Manager
Company: Bridgeway Consulting Ltd
Location: Bristol

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Ian is great team player with a can do, will do attitude to work. He has a very enthusiastic and positive outlook in both life and work and has a certain personal magnetism that has commanded the respect of all his colleagues at Bridgeway. A very mature, level headed, calm and understanding person, Ian is very supportive to others.

Ian is the Bridgeway Territory Manager for the South West Region. He is responsible for managing a team of 40+ staff and ensuring that Possessions are delivered in key areas for Network Rail. The most difficult area involves the running of the High Output Ballast Cleaner. The team are responsible for delivering highly complex and demanding possessions every night of the week. His leadership and commitment are demonstrated by the excellent results achieved by the team as a whole.

Ian has a proven record of delivery and often coping with last minute changes that present safety and logistical challenges. The team has been developed to make the most of the individual skills to strengthen the team as a whole. Ian has become adept at ensuring talent within the team is recognised and developed. All the key members of the team have come from internal promotion.

Ian has works hard to ensure that he has good team of people that have a proven track record of delivery. He is multi- dimensional in his approach; he ticks the boxes in all areas from Planning & Delivery though to Safety & Efficiency.

He is an inspiration to us all at Bridgeway and has demonstrated both tactical and strategic management and leadership qualities.

In closing, Ian is very much a people person, an asset to our business and a very worthy winner of Rail Manager of the Year 2010".

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"He looks after his employees interest as well as the interest of Bridgeway

My daughter was ill with cancer. He gave me loads of support which helped no end".

Date of event: 9-8-10

Name: Neil Maudsley
Job title: Depot Manager
Company: Merseyrail Electric 2002 LTD
Location: Kirkdale Depot

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“Neil is very approachable and although he does take his role very seriously he also have a funny side to him, you can ask him anything his door is always open for staff to sit and have a chat. When my sister passed away, Neil was there to help me, which I was most grateful for at the time, when I needed to talk he was there to listen, even though he had just taken over the role as Depot manager and trying to learn his new role, so I will be forever grateful”.

Date of event: 28-7-10

Name: Susan Jackman
Job title: Special Requirements Team Manager
Company: London Underground
Location: 49 Pelham Street, London, SW7 2NJ

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“I would like to nominate Susan as I feel that she holds strong qualities that make someone a good manager. Susan has the ability to relate well` with her staff. She is able to show good, strong and positive management skills that benefit the business and at the same time is able to show empathy and an understanding to her staff which impacts on the performance of the employees. She shows a friendly and helpful approach to her team which consists of approx 180 staff. Even though she has this large amount of staff she always seems to make time for individuals listening to their needs and concerns both within work and in their personal life. Sue has worked for the company for about 25 years holding both non managerial and managerial grades therefore her knowledge of the business and employees is second to none. Sue has always shown an enthusiastic approach to her managerial position but always implements it with a fare good natured approach to others”.

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“Highly effective and efficient, enthusiastic, hard working, helpful, knowledgeable, Proactive, professional and cost conscious. An architect of drastic cost reduction in over-time bill of London Underground Ltd. in the last two financial years.
Reappointed Manager for another term by virtue of her achievement in strict coordination of staff to ensure reduction of avoidable over-time”.

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“Susan Jackman has got all the abilities to be a very good manager in fact one of the best managers. As an employee, I feel very easy to talk to her about any problem related to work and I know that she is going to listen and help me where necessary. She is very friendly, knowledgeable, hard working and professional. In short, I am happy to have her as an employing manager”.

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“For being proactive, encouraging staff development, supportive, approachable, helpful, professional, knowledgeable and hard working”.

Date of event: 22-7-10

Name: Alan Roffey
Job title: Project Manager
Company: Transport for London
Location: Albany House

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“I have worked along side Alan on numerous projects helping to test developing systems within Oyster. Alan had led the project to upgrade all the computer systems within Oyster and during this time whenever colleagues had endured any problems he had always been around to provide answers and support, his dedication and hard work has been known to all colleagues within Oyster. On the development of Oyster Refunds System Alan had to lead a team to analyse and test the systems accuracy for audits, he had implemented strategies and procedures on testing to make sure all areas were covered and any issues were resolved as soon as possible. His efficiency and collaboration skills are excellent, Alan is not only a team leader he is a team player as well, he has always provided help whenever needed. Working along side Alan on testing the Oyster customer website and the Oyster Refunds System he had provided full support with system access and system issues, he has never let down his team and always provided support whenever needed”.

Date of event: 22-7-10

Name: Adam Lees
Job title: E&P Project Manager
Company: Amey
Location: Bristol

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
I would like to nominate Adam Lees (E&P Project Manager) to receive the Rail Manager of the Year Award.

Adam in my view excelled as a manager on the NASR project, he is committed to his role and makes time to provide valuable support to his staff (myself included). He also maintains an excellent relationship with the client, ensuring that they are up to speed with all current and forthcoming developments.

Adam has recently left Amey E&P to manage the design team in Bristol, and has a new and busy role within the department. However he remains in frequent contact with the NASR team ensuring that the project closes in a manner that he is happy with.

Adam has proven himself to be a fantastic team player and will always get stuck in on site if we're in the middle of a difficult job, or if the team just needs an extra pair of hands. He has often been out on many heavy cable pulls!

Adam has a great commercial mind and has been a real source of motivation for the team. I am sure that he will do as good a job in the design department as he has done in our E&P department.

Date of event: 8-6-10

Name: Simon Lewis
Job title: Duty Manager (Trains)
Company: London Underground
Location: Wembley Park Train Depot

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Duty Manager (Trains) Simon Lewis started on the railway at 19, Over the years he has worked at many locations and in many different grades.

Simon is a very approachable person, who cares deeply for the welfare of not just his staff, but previous staff he has mentored using his expert knowledge and enthusiastic nature.

Simon is a proactive manager, who will always be found on a platform during peak hours, showing his dedication and determination to keep the Jubilee Line, and Metropolitan Lines on some occasions, running.

He is a real professional in his field and definitely a team player. His cheerfulness with co –workers and members of the public is infectious, and you will never see Simon, or anyone he influences without a smile on their face.

Simon mainly deals with train incidents, using his initiative and being proactive, causing minimal delays on the service, whilst offering his knowledgeable advice to his colleagues, and members of public.

Although Simon is a Duty Manager on the Jubilee line, he is always willing to help on any line that needs him, sometimes going above and beyond his role.

Simon is also a person that if you have a problem, or need a chat, he will always have time for you to confide in him, without fear of your problem being shared.

Simon mentors the Apprenticeship scheme, allowing young people in the workplace to experience real life incidents, and every apprentice Simon has mentored has gone on to carry out their desired career choice on the railway.

Simon is in charge of ‘Filming on the Underground’ He arranges trains and train crew, to escort Film Crews to Charing Cross disused station on the jubilee line, and ensures that the filming goes ahead without hitches. Ensuring the London Underground is represented on the ‘Big Screen’ in it’s true glory.

In a way Simon is an excellent example of a manager, a pioneer for equality, diversity and inclusion, who leads his team from the front. I suppose a ‘manager who lights fires inside of people’ and when Simon’s involved nothing is impossible, and every target achievable.

A worthy contender for the ‘Rail Manager of the Year’ Award".
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“In the short space of time I have been Simon's boss I have been overwhelmed by his energy and commitment to the travelling public. As a Duty Manager Trains on the Jubilee Line, London Underground, he has two key roles to discharge - booking on crews and managing incidents. He has always favoured the latter. This enables him to get out and about and meet his staff and our customers. He always has a smile on his face and full of beans. I have witnessed on many occasions already his friendly approach to customers and he shows an honest commitment to ensuring they get the best possible service. He has a can do attitude which bears fruit during operational incidents in that he gets the service up and running sooner rather than later. He spends most of his time out of his office whatever the weather. He has received endless commendations for his management of difficult and complex incidents such as Person Under Train Incidents and the recent extreme cold weather. He is well like by staff and takes a particular interest in the newer staff acting as their mentor during their first year operating trains. Simon looks after LUL apprentices and exposes them to the operational railway. His friendly and calm manner ensures they are put at ease and learn quickly. I always look to Simon to show VIPs the Line and have received very positive feedback about his attitude. He collaborates well with our colleagues in stations and service control and is thus well known on the Line. His active and helpful nature has resulted in him attending to incidents on other Lines and even Network Rail both while on and even off duty. I would certainly recommend Simon for this award. It would be the culmination of over 10 years of great management”.

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“In my opinion, Simon is one of the most knowledgeable managers on the Jubilee Line, he is the person you want there in a crisis, the first to offer help if needed, the person most staff would look to for an answer. He is our "One Stop Shop"!

He has been the DMT for several "one-unders", one just a couple of months ago”.

Date of event: 6-6-10

Name: Michael Smith
Job title: Performance Manager Stations, Central Line
Company: London Underground
Location: 6th Floor, UK House, 180 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1NN

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“I would like to nominate Mike Smith for the Rail Manager of the Year award as Mike is role model for me and I am sure lots of other colleagues as well. I have known Mike for 10 years and whilst he had my respect he has now earned my respect and trust.

Mike has encouraged and developed me as a manager where I now feel more confident in delivering my role. Mike has a very direct style of management, one of the behaviours LU is fostering in its entire staff, tempered with fair and consistancy which has allowed me the autonomy to deliver my duties. This style of management has developed a better understanding of accountability and activeness part which I have forwarded on to my own team.

The culture that Mike has developed of providing direct and timely feedback and allowing me the autonomy to manage myself and my team has helped me focus on achieving my objectives and targets whilst bringing my team and ‘reports’ along with me. The level of guidance and feedback and his collaborative style of management have nurtured and ability in me to self analise and take active steps to redress any problems that arise within the team.

Mike’s enthusiasm and support for his team has not only developed a healthy competition to be the best but also share good ideas and practices where the team. Mikes’ willingness to always look for better ways to achieve our objectives has meant that we are always looking for new initiatives and whilst in competition to be the best, each member of the team is the first to share ideas they have, share practices they have developed and support each other so much so that I feel privileged to be working with this team knowing I can call on any of my colleagues at anytime and they will be there for me.

He always brings a smile and his cheerfulness to every meeting and whilst we cover the serious topics of the day, it is not a chore to attend the meetings.

I believe Mike’s style of management has helped the Central Line stations team achieve its target for the year 2009/ 2010, which has obviously contributed not only to his own targets as a performance manager, the Central Line target, the LU target but ultimately for our customers where they have received a World Class service. This is the reason why I am nominating Mike Smith for the rail manager of the year award”

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“I am nominating Mike because I firmly believe that he deserves to be recognised for the outstanding contribution he has made in delivering a world class tube for a world class city.

I have known Mike since the day he joined London Underground. We were both Revenue Inspectors at that time and from day one he demonstrated his outstanding interpersonal skills that have obviously stood him in good stead. He immediately had an impact on the entire team and it was not long before his peers were going to him for advice and guidance. His knowledge of Revenue Control, which he brought with him from when he worked on London Buses, was outstanding and he took great pleasure in being able to share his knowledge and experiences with us.

As a result of his input, the whole modus operandi of our department changed for the better. His dedication, determination and approachability had a huge effect on the team and that is still evident to this day. Mike was promptly promoted to Duty Station Manager at London Bridge.

A few years later I was seconded to London Bridge as a Duty Manager and I felt that I had bitten off more that I could chew. Mike obviously noticed this and went to great lengths to reassure me and he mentored me throughout my time there. He firstly ensured that I was competent in dealing with safety related issues. He would accompany me while I was doing planned general inspections and while I was dealing with incidents on the station. He would allow me to get on with it until I was about to made a mistake and then, in a very calm fashion he would ask me if I was "sure that you want to do that". He often stayed behind well after his duty was finished to offer feedback to me and others. He ensured that I was gaining the knowledge, skills and experience that would enable me to confidently apply for promotion.

He was never afraid to get his hands dirty. He would spend most of his duty out of the office and mixing with the customers and staff on the stations. He listened to what staff and customers had to say and he ensured that this was fed back to the management team. He often spent time listening to what I considered trivial moans but this endeared him to the staff and this paid off as they went out of their to assist him in ensuring that the stations ran efficiently. All the management noticed this and we all learned from it.
Mike also did not shy away from dealing with the difficult issues that others did not want to get involved in. He would however have words with his peers who he believed were not pulling their weight. Normally this would cause disharmony within a team, but Mike's style of delivery and constructive approach prevented this from happening. Everyone respected his opinion and accepted feedback in a constructive fashion. Mike ticks all of the London Underground Core Value boxes. He is Collaborative, Direct, Accountable, Active, Fair and Consistent. I can say that with authority as I have personally witnessed him being all of these things. For all of the above reasons I have decided to support Mike's nomination. He would be a very worthy winner”.

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“Mike is a really Friendly and reliable Manager. Willing to share a joke but also straight making you understand where you fit in. Willing to put himself out to help people, he spent 4 hours Helping my PA complete her questionnaire for her new job”.

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“Although kept busy by his normal work Mike will always take time to help any of his staff. An example being that at very short notice he came and spent a good couple of hours helping me prepare for a Centurion interview. This involved him switching al lot of appointments around which caused him to have work late on a couple of occasions later that week. He also spent a lot of time with an Admin Assistant from another group on a similar subject. He praises his staff long and loud when they do things right, and favours the quiet word in the ear when to start off with when improvement is needed. He is always there to offer sound advice and keeps his promises. He will not ask you to do anything that he is not prepared to do himself. He has been out on several occasions during the winter scraping snow from platforms up and down the line.
To sum up, a real leader”.

Date of event: 30-4-10

Name: Paul Bennett
Job title: Duty Station Manager
Company: London Underground
Location: Greenford

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“He is safety conscious, hardworking and reliable. Uses initiative and is proactive

During the winter, we have to grit a long and sloping pathway and three platforms. Paul always used to come to North Acton to assist us-even after finishing his duty, in clearing the snow/ice and making the station safe. Many customers said "thank you" to him. I can always rely on him to assist us during these situations.
He encouraged us to enter in Station Garden competition. We were first in the hanging baskets category a few years ago. Last year, he did the tubs at Greenford and was awarded the second prize”.

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"Paul is a very dedicated manager and takes pride in all he does. The group, where he works as been under pressure for 12 moths with 2 duty managers short and Paul has been instrumental in keeping the team motivated and taken personal ownership and delivered some key milestones in the delivery of the objectives of the group which has helped the group deliver its targets".

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“Paul has always had time for his staff & when I joined the group he was very supportive. He always encourages us to take ownership of situations and to develop ourselves. He is very sympathetic to staff needs & is always fair & consistent. He is an exemplary Manager who never shies away from his responsibilities.
There was a point’s failure at Ealing Broadway but the right tools were not there to carry out the scotching & clipping. He drove to North Acton and picked up the necessary tools, thus enabling the service to resume a lot sooner than was possible.
It would be fantastic for him to win this award for the dedication he has shown to this group and the company as a whole over the years”.

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“Approachable, friendly, supportive, helpful, knowledgeable, reliable, hardworking and enthusiastic towards staff and customers. Paul always exhibits these qualities, like helping staff with personal and professional problems, supportive when a customer passed away in the station toilet, acknowledging good work and correcting poor performance without belittling staff, going out during bad weather and assisting staff with de-icing and other countless helpful acts”.

Date of event: 29-3-10

Name: Chris Millar
Job title: Business Analyst
Company: Transport for London
Location: Albany House, London SW1H 0BD

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
“Chris has implemented changes within Oyster by developing and designing the new Oyster refunds system, he started on secondment on Project Management to now a permanent Business Analyst for Project Management he has worked his way up from a Senior Advisor in Oyster refunds to a band three manager in Project Management Office (PMO).

He has shown colleagues that everything is achievable if you work towards your goals Chris has taken Oyster refunds into a new generation, making the system easier to use, easier to maintain and easier to train new colleagues on how to use the system.

Chris has put a lot of hard work and dedication in to developing and making sure the system worked, even on the launch of the new system Chris had worked throughout the night and supported his team to make sure the launch was successful. Even to this date he is still implementing changes that will make the new system more efficient”.

Date of event: 6-4-10

Name: Adam Hills
Job title: Project Management
Company: Transport for London
Location: Albany House, London SW1H 0BD

Why they should be this years rail manager of the year?
"Adam has played a big part in the launch of Oyster pay as you go Expansion on to National Rail (OXNR) he was the Project Manager leading a team who effectively and efficiently organised training and development of OXNR to colleagues within Transport for London (TfL) and National Rail (NR) / Associated Train Operating Companies (ATOC).

He had taken on the project with just weeks to go before the launch of OXNR to the public, ensuring every aspect of Oyster payg was covered from systems, system applications, processes, policies staff training and development. Adam also provided support to Oyster Helpline phone staff on the day of the launch of OXNR making sure all colleagues had full support.

Adam’s leadership and collaboration skills excels above many, he has the ability to manage and communicate at all levels, he was the first point of contact between NR / ATOC and TfL Oyster, whenever there was a problem he would endeavour to resolve the issues as soon as possible".

Date of event: 6-4-10