Press Release

Rail supplier excellence showcased at RIA RISE Awards; Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner, recognised too 

30 June 2023

A broad range of rail supply companies scooped Railway Industry Supplier Excellence (RISE) Awards at tonight’s Railway Industry Association (RIA) Annual Dinner, highlighting excellence within the sector.

An independent judging panel of senior industry figures picked the winners after a record number of over 90 entries were submitted across 11 categories.

Amongst the winners, Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner, picked up the ‘Client of the Year’ Award, regarded by the RIA Board as the rail client individual who had done the most to deliver rail in their area and build strong supplier relationships over the year.

The Dinner and Awards ceremony took place tonight at the Intercontinental Park Lane, Central London, with over 400 people in attendance. As part of the Dinner and Awards ceremony, guests were treated to some quality entertainment in the form of the ‘Fireflies’ – a troupe of classically trained ballerinas performing in custom-made LED tutus – a violinist, and a DJ, as well as a charity raffle appeal in aid of the Railway Mission.

The evening was hosted by comedian, broadcaster and former political advisor, Ayesha Hazarika MBE, and featured keynote speeches from Rail & HS2 Minister, Huw Merriman MP, and RIA’s Chief Executive Darren Caplan and Chairman David Tonkin.

The 11 Award winners were:

L.B. Foster (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award)
Network Rail partnered with Rail Aid and seven other suppliers (Environmental, Social & Governance Award)
Connected Places Catapult partnered with Network Rail (Safety Award)
Angel Trains partnered with Transmission Dynamics (Partnership Award)
Revolution VLR (Innovation Award)
WSP (Application of Digital Technology Award)
Croftstone (SME Growth in Rail Award)
Xrail (SME Exporter in Rail Award)
Josie Cheeseman, WSP (Rising Star Award)
Pradeep Vasudev, WSP (Employee of the Year Award)
Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner (Client of the Year Award)

The following entries were Highly Commended:

Atkins (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award)
Trainline (Environmental, Social & Governance Award)
Tended (Safety Award)
L.B. Foster partnered with Network Rail (Partnership Award)
The University of Sheffield (Innovation Award)
Cognizant and Network Rail (Application of Digital Technology Award)
One Big Circle (SME Growth in Rail Award)
Infinitive Group (SME Exporter in Rail Award)
Kirsty Maule, Gleeds (Rising Star Award)
Alex Nelson, Atkins (Employee of the Year Award)

Commenting, RIA Chief Executive, Darren Caplan, said:

“We would like to warmly congratulate all of tonight’s winners, as well as those who were Highly Commended, and everyone who took part. The judging panel were presented with a record number of high-quality entries, and the standard was very high right across the board.

“These Awards truly demonstrate the value of the rail supply chain. The industry faces a bright future, with suppliers not just delivering transformational rail projects to serve a growing number of passengers and freight customers, but also creating jobs and generating economic growth in the process.

“A special congratulations should go to Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner, who won the ‘Client of the Year’ Award. This was awarded by the RIA Board for achieving a strong initial funding settlement for rail in the capital, ensuring friendly passenger services during events like the Queen Elizabeth II funeral and the recent Coronation, achieving the full running of Crossrail and providing new rolling stock for the DLR, and getting the Underground restored so well post-Covid, with patronage returning to record post pandemic levels. Truly exceptional achievements for a first year in office!

“We hope that the unprecedented number of people who attended the RIA Dinner & RISE Awards this year had a fantastic time, and we’re already looking forward to planning for an even bigger and better event in 2024!”

Transport for London Commissioner, Andy Lord, said:

“I was deeply honoured to be recognised as part of RIA’s RISE Awards. The rail supply chain plays a crucial role in keeping London moving, and we at TfL look forward to continuing our constructive relationship with RIA over the coming months and years”.   

RIA would like to thank the sponsors of the RIA Dinner & RISE Awards 2023: Gleeds (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award), Tratos (Environmental, Social & Governance Award), Atkins (SME Growth in Rail Award), Kier (Employee of the Year Award) and Xrail (Silver Sponsor). 

Notes to Editors

The RISE Awards judging panel consisted of:
• Robert Ampomah, Chief Technology Officer, Network Rail
• Dyan Crowther, Chief Executive Officer, HS1 Ltd
• Gareth Evans, Head of Rail Technology, Network Rail
• Rachel Fullard, Service Analyst at Rail Delivery Group and EDI Charter Working Group Chair
• Shamit Gaiger, Managing Director, West Coast Partnership Development
• Jo Lewington, Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer, Network Rail
• Klara Ludinova, Innovation Lead – Rail, Innovate UK
• Toufic Machnouk, Director, Industry Partnership for Digital Railway, Network Rail
• Justin Moss, Head of Business Development, Electrification at Siemens Mobility, Rail Infrastructure and Chair RIA North
• Ian Prosser CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Railways and Director of Railway Safety, Office of Rail and Road
• Wendy Richards, Railways Infrastructure Lead, Department for Business and Trade
• Fi Westcough, Chair, Young Rail Professionals

Judges feedback:
• L.B. Foster (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award)
The judges felt this entry stood out as a brilliant practical solution for passengers.
• Network Rail (Environmental, Social & Governance Award)
The judges felt this entry stood out as it had suppliers, government, and Network Rail working together to deliver quickly and it emphasises the priority that the Railway took helping Ukraine.
• Connected Places Catapult (Safety Award)
The judges said this was a strong powerful entry with impactful supporting evidence.
• Angel Trains (Partnership Award)
The judges said they were very impressed with the project and how it prevents staff call outs meaning less disruption for customers.
• Revolution VLR (Innovation Award)
The judges said the winner of the Innovation Award demonstrated their project well which provides a straight forward solution to a large problem of reducing the cost of rail.
• WSP (Application of Digital Technology Award)
The judges said the winning entry had a great approach to user centric design.
• Croftstone (SME Growth in Rail Award)
The judges felt this entry stood out as it sometimes it takes a drastic change personally to reflect and review and this has clearly been the catalyst for the phenomenal growth whilst staying true to family and inclusive cultures.
• Xrail (SME Exporter in Rail Award)
The judges said they clearly demonstrated their upskilling the next generation of engineers and employees as well as demonstrating their personal are respected in the exports arena.
• Josie Cheeseman, WSP (Rising Star Award)
The judges said how this individual has shown personal contribution over and above their role, demonstrating large contributions to increasing skills in active roles.
• Pradeep Vasudev, WSP (Employee of the Year Award)
The judges felt this individual stood out and clearly demonstrates his character, contribution and achievements, showing collaboration truly does work in challenging projects.
• Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner (Client of the Year Award)
The winner of this award is helping to restore the underground system, with patronage at record highs past Covid.