The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Rail Person of the Year

Ian Watts

Said the following about Jade Southwell:

“Jade is truly an exceptional Project Manager, she has worked tirelessly on a number of projects to improve things for both our customers and colleagues.

Without Jade's hard work and dedication, we would not have been able to completely refurbish the Control Point at London Victoria. Jade is incredibly detailed orientated and tenacious. When she believes in a project, she will work extremely hard to get the project completed to the best of her abilities. Jade gave up most of her Christmas holidays, including working Boxing Day, to ensure the Control Point refurb was completed not only ahead of target, but also under budget.

Jade has built up an excellent network of contacts across the business and uses this network to leverage the best outcomes for the people she is working for. Jade is able to retain vast amounts of knowledge which helps her to excel in her role. She has been an immense help for the various projects I've worked with her on.“

Tim McCarthy

Said the following about Jade Southwell:

“Jade is a great project manager and always goes above and beyond in everything she does in the rail industry. She can manage projects effectively and successfully and communicates well with her colleagues and team members. She demonstrates effective leadership skills and can get projects completed, on time whilst completing goals and targets and achieving successful conclusions. Jade is extremely efficient and always meets her deadlines. She is focussed, organised and is great at planning in advance and can face challenges head on. She motivates and inspires all those around her.“

Benjamin Cowdell

Said the following about Jade Southwell:

“Jade is the lynchpin of GTR's Continuous Improvement team, striving to ensure especially complex projects are completed to time and on schedule. The outstanding achievement to her name is the redevelopment of the London Victoria Control Point, revitalising a dated control room with improved display screen equipment, lighting, furnishings and more. To ensure this was complete on time, Jade sacrificed her Christmas holidays to ensure all the complexities surrounding the project were tackled, involving numerous external parties and successfully mitigating risks. This was achieved in tandem with her up to now unsung work with Network Rail and BTP colleagues on Route Crime and Security, ensuring improvements to prevent trespass on Sussex Route were progressed through a multi-business partnership. Her project management and people management skills work together in tandem to produce tangible improvements for fellow colleagues, and her tenacity, drive and leadership skills are a credit to her.“