Glynis Appelbe

Said the following about Lynn Crump:

“Over the course of the last three years, Freightliner has undergone a great period of change, most notably, when Genesee and Wyoming (G&W) acquired the company in 2015. This paved the way to many exciting developments for Freightliner’s Communications team, as they worked to implement the changes to branding throughout the extensive Freightliner network.

More recently, the acquisition of Pentalver by Genesee and Wyoming in 2017 led to further transformations within the Freightliner Communications team, as they worked to incorporate Pentalver’s brand into the rapidly-expanding G&W UK/Europe Region ‘family’.

At the front of the Communications efforts was, and still is, Lynn Crump, Freightliner’s Head of Communications. Whilst some might have found the changes daunting, Lynn seized the opportunity to harness the potential of new investment. It is fair to say she has been absolutely pivotal in the changes made, from new technology projects, to increased employee engagement and raising the company’s external brand awareness. Lynn is always keen for the business to look at more ingenious ways of publicising our business, and innovative ways to further improve the services we provide. Whether that is through social media, charitable events and donations, or the awards we get involved in, Lynn is always bringing new ideas to the table. This is not always easy in a historically conservative environment, but Lynn takes all challenges in her stride

For a number of years Lynn has been the driving force behind the promotion of the Group’s flexible benefit ‘Freightliner Life’ and her direct involvement has resulted in the scheme showing yearly growth of employee engagement and sign up. Along with maintaining visibility of the scheme throughout the year, Lynn plans and manages the communication project for the scheme’s annual sign-up window every November - including highlighting and detailing all newly introduced benefits. With her hands-on approach, she has travelled the country, running Benefit ’road shows’ at our geographically diverse company sites, and engaging with staff as a Freightliner Life champion. This year, her role has been further complicated by the need for a complete rebranding of the scheme, within very tight time scales, to reflect Freightliner’s new corporate identity.

Lynn is also instrumental in encouraging more diversity within the UK/Europe region companies. She actively works with Women in Rail and has also been crucial in Freightliner’s efforts to actively participate in the Rail diversity challenge. From a recruitment perspective, Lynn has also been keen to identify unique and innovative ways to encourage diversity within the business.

Lynn’s background in internal communications, as well as her creativity and positive attitude, have been instrumental in overcoming any challenges along the way. She has ensured that the internal communication surrounding each of the new technology projects has been clear, open and informative. Her never-faltering commitment to continuous improvement and positive employee engagement is why she is deserving of the award.“