Stephen Dodd

Said the following about Ian Parr:

“Ian was promoted into the role of Depot Manager (Southport TCD) in February 2018 after serving as an Operations Inspector for over 25 years. Ian was always seen a leader within the team in his previous role and in 2018 felt the time and structure was right for him to take on a more senior role as a Depot Manager. In little over a year he had turned the depot from the worst performing depot to the best. His sickness figures for the last twelve months are the best in the business (2.05%) and has reduced significantly from 5.57% through his engaging and caring style.

In addition his engagement scores has mirrored his sickness performance in terms of going from one of the worst in the business to the best not only in the Operations function but the entire business. This is a real testament to Ian's managerial approach. He is such a genuine and professional character that genuinely has his employee’s best interests at heart in everything that he does. He has built up great reputations with the supervisors, the trade union representatives, the stations team and the Drivers and Guards at the depots to ensure it runs smoothly. He leads this team on a day to day basis and deals with issues quickly and efficiently.

In addition - Ian's team at Southport has bucked the trend in terms of the operational safety performance - we have had 6 SPaDs occur on the network and not one of these has involved a Driver from Southport TCD. Ian regularly has Depot Forums with his staff and discusses industry incidents and best practice he has identified through regular meetings with other Depot Managers in other TOCs.

There is not one person in Merseyrail who does not see Ian Parr as a leader. He knows everyone, is approachable to everyone and will often be the first one to arrive at an incident and the last one home. He works collaboratively with everyone and offers great advice to everyone from the front line to director level.

Ian has a wealth of experience which has supported him into becoming a 'true leader' in the rail industry. A very worthy nomination for this category.“