The RailStaff Awards 2024

Philippa Southwood

Said the following about Up Group Women in Greater Anglia Group:

“The Up! Committee is a first of its kind for Abellio – a group of women from across the business determined to change perceptions and encourage growth for each other.

The UP! Committee came together in the face of adversity, supporting each other through the challenging experience of becoming ‘Contingency Conductors’ during industrial action. The group decided that the benefits and confidence boost they had experienced through uniting needed to be shared to a wider audience. With only 22% female colleagues at GA, the group realised that UP! could be a way to work towards an equal and diverse workforce. Even with the knowledge that a balanced workforce produces better results, there is still the issue of both attracting and retaining women in the rail industry. UP! is on the crusade to change that!

The group have organised successful events and travelled for roadshows. The majority of planning and organising is done in their own time and over and above the day jobs, their passion for the cause being the main driver. The group has featured on the front page of Passenger Transport magazine, were interviewed live on BBC Essex on International Womens Day 2018 and the Female recruitment day 2018 even made it on BBC news. The group has inclusivity at its heart.

The group is a network of women raising UP women’s confidence, empowering each other and celebrating the work we do, as well as helping those who may be going through negative experiences such as sexual harassment and unequal pay.

The UP! Group officially established themselves in January 2018. They have run a programme of events including: a major launch event (with Jane Corthwaite from the Department for Transport acting as a speaker), pop-up events around the network, a Female Driver Recruitment Day and a Q&A evening with inspiring women from around the business in. Most recently they ran an event on Imposter Syndrome attended by colleagues across the Abellio Group.

The Female Driver recruitment day saw 60 internal female colleagues come and experience what the role of a train driver involves, gave opportunity to speak to current female drivers, have a go at practice assessments and even experience the simulators. The purpose was to break down the stereotype that train driving is a profession for men, and the day resulted in a increase in female applications and a number of attendees passing assessments and securing a place on driver training course! The success has led to another day being organised in December 2019.“