Rebecca O'Donnell

Said the following about Mark Fielding-Smith:

“Mark is a force of nature when it comes to charitable work and raising money for causes close to his heart. The Railway Children charity is one of particular importance to Mark, and during his career in the rail industry, he has had a leading role in raising over £150,000 to help the charity keep vulnerable children off the streets.

He is the visionary and pioneer of the Ride the Route charity bike ride – a 3-day bike ride involving several organisations from the East Coast Digital Programme cycling over 350km along the East Coast Mainline route. Mark was inspired by the fantastic support the rail industry gives through the Three Peaks by Rail challenge and the Railway Ball, and wanted to create a new annual event to epitomise the industry’s collaboration and tenacity. He radiates genuine care and kindness for others, and he has a natural ability to draw people from different organisations and walks of life together to unite for a good cause. Mark’s infectious positivity and sense of fun kept everyone on the ride going, and he always had the safety and wellbeing of every rider at the forefront of his mind.

Mark has wild yet brilliant ideas of how we as an industry can use our collective platforms to make a difference! He sees the strength and talents of the people he works with and trusts them to help make these ideas a reality. On top of the Ride the Route bike ride, he has also led the Ride the Route Gala Dinner – another very successful event which is now a yearly occurrence – which raised another £42,000 for Railway Children on top of the bike ride’s total. The event was to celebrate the physical challenge the riders had been through, thank all the sponsors for their donations, and try to raise extra funds for the charity through a charity auction (which Mark officiated!).

Outside of work, he frequently completes endurance events to raise even more money for charity. This year, Mark trailblazed another new event series, the London Classics, which consists of the London Marathon, Ride London and finally the Swim Serpentine in September, raising over £1,200 for Railway Children.

Mark is a true superstar, a genuinely warm and caring person who wants everyone around him to shine, and thoroughly deserves this award!“