Rebecca Horne

Said the following about Connor Hardy:

“Since taking on the role of QHSE Manager in February 2023, Connor Hardy has won over stakeholders and colleagues with his enthusiasm for fostering a culture of safety at Keolis Nottingham, the operator of NET, Nottingham’s successful tram network.

Connor joined the operator in January 2019 as a tram driver after previously working as a primary school teacher. In May 2021, he applied for and was successfully awarded the role of QHSE Officer. During this time, he demonstrated his commitment to supporting a culture of quality, health, safety, and the environment (QHSE) whilst being mentored by the Head of QHSE who prepared him for promotion to QHSE Manager in February 2023 when the opportunity arose.

In May 2023, Connor’s team grew to three when he appointed two QHSE Advisors, both previously tram drivers. He has taken them under his wing to mentor them to become compliant and confident in their roles. As a team of three they not only collaborate to monitor and check QHSE management systems and procedures at depot level and support the team with inspections, audits and QHSE training, but, inspired by Connor’s positive attitude, they’re consistently having conversations with staff to highlight that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Having previously worked in education, Connor is passionate about building a positive and trusting relationship between our future generations and the trams. He has developed an idea with Nottinghamshire Police to introduce ‘Mini Police’ to Keolis Nottingham. Through this initiative, pupils from local primary schools across the city have had the opportunity to visit the depot to learn about tram safety, focusing on crossing tramways and the overhead power lines. With his previous experience of teaching, Connor has created sessions that are engaging and fun for everyone involved. The children leave the depot feeling enthusiastic and well educated about being safe and respectful around trams.

In total, the depot has hosted 570 pupils for the 2022/2023 school year. This number increased by 1,500 in September due to Connor committing to work with the Nottingham Safety Education Partnership on a two-week ‘September Safety Zone’ programme.

Connor and his team are also working with local community group, The Pythian Club to promote tram safety and reduce anti-social behaviour on the tram network by helping to develop the ‘You vs Tram’ presentation aimed at secondary school students. The importance of the work that Connor has done in creating these positive relationships within the local community has recently been highlighted following several high-profile negative incidents in Nottingham and on our trams. By continuing his positive work, Keolis Nottingham can strive on making the trams safe for everyone in the community.

Connor is seen as a huge asset to the business due to his willingness to engage and collaborate with others. He has positive relationships with many colleagues at Keolis Nottingham, specifically with our frontline staff due to his time working as a tram driver. He always makes time to chat and is honest and transparent in his conversations, especially when listening to feedback.

When dealing with a serious tram derailment earlier this year, Connor positively led the team working with colleagues and external agencies, including the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), and Alstom to understand what had happened and how to get the tram back on the track. Using his excellent communication skills, problem solving and enthusiasm, the team were able to get the tram back to the depot efficiently reducing the time that customers were affected.

Just four years into his light rail career, Connor is already having an influence within the industry thanks to his commitment, passion, and professionalism. In the years ahead, Connor is set to continue to build on his achievements and experience whilst inspiring others to prioritise and focus on safety.“