The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Graduate or Newcomer Award

Melissa Amouzandeh - **HAS LEFT**

Said the following about Daisy Daymond:

“Daisy is the embodiment of what a good graduate should be. She’s inquisitive, professional, humble, proactive and enthusiastic. She undertook her first placement in the Access and Inclusion team which was a perfect fit as she has a keen interest in the subject matter, particularly around neuro-diversity, however I have no doubt that she would apply herself in exactly the same way no matter what she’s working on, as she’s keen to learn and always pushing herself to grow and experience new things.

Daisy became a valued member of the team from day one and wasn’t afraid to challenge if she saw a better way of doing things. This led to her delivering some great pieces of work, such as the creation of a Diversity Impact Assessment Superuser pack and instruction video alongside improvements to the Sharepoint site, which has positively impacted the user experience.

Daisy organised a series of visits to our managed stations to review the station experience from a disabled customers’ point of view. These visits proved to be hugely insightful, and Daisy produced an excellent report which was used to feed back to the stations on where they were doing well and areas for improvement. This work will no doubt have an impact on improving the experience of our disabled customers in the future, which is a fantastic achievement.

Daisy has also shown great D&I leadership outside of the day job – she’s joined the leadership team of CanDo, our employee network for disability which is a great achievement for someone who hasn’t even been in the company for 6 months! She also featured in a very personal video for Archway, our LGBT+ employee network, something she was nervous about doing but felt it was worthwhile if it helped even just one person who might be going through a similar experience to hers. She also regularly attends session on various D&I topics to broaden her understanding of others’ lived experiences and shows true care and compassion for all her colleagues, regardless of their background.

Everyone who meets Daisy says how brilliant she is; she’s a breath of fresh air and I have no doubt that she will go on to achieve many wonderful things in her career – she could do whatever she puts her mind to! She has embodied the Network Rail values of being Accountable, Challenging, Collaborative and Customer-Focussed and is truly mature beyond her 21 years!“

Lucy Cashin

Said the following about Daisy Daymond:

“I met Daisy virtually when she attended some CanDo events towards the end of 2021, and found her feedback and participation to be so valuable. Daisy is a true star rising up. The rail industry is so lucky to have a graduate as fantastic as Daisy is. I chair CanDo, the disabled employee network, and I asked her to join the leadership team as I could see the value that Daisy's insights bring to the team. It makes me feel happy to know that we have such a conscientious, tenacious and intelligent graduate as Daisy is. She has presented to CanDo members on very sensitive and personal matters, and the feedback from members was superb.“

Andrew Stiles

Said the following about Daisy Daymond:

“Daisy does a massive amount to promote the railway in a really positive light and has an amazing energy and enthusiasm which we need in our industry as we strive to improve during these difficult times. She is also a strong advocate for women in rail and science and engineering and an amazing role model and champion for the graduate scheme and development of future leaders.“

Alex Mould

Said the following about Daisy Daymond:

“Daisy has been a fantastic example of everything a graduate should be. She throws herself into every new challenge and is always keen to learn. Daisy has built great relationships with every placement team she has had and left a positive impact to the point where they don't want her to leave. She has thrown herself into numerous things outside her day to day work, being a STEM ambassador and becoming a member of the leadership team for CanDo (our disability employee network). Daisy is now becoming a mentor to the newest cohort of graduates and I know she will set a brilliant example and help them follow in her footsteps, having a positive impact on every area of the business that she touches.“

Owen Thomas

Said the following about Daisy Daymond:

“Daisy has set the bar so high for graduates and new joiners to the industry. Daisy's work ethic and contribution to the team has been outstanding and hasn't gone unnoticed. Whether it's running a meeting or presenting at an event, Daisy has delivered these flawlessly and been a great asset.“