6 September 2023
The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the rail supply community, is delighted to announce the appointment of the new Chair and Vice Chair for the Wales and Western Leadership Group; Daniel Smith, Head of Engineering and Design from D2Rail who takes the position of Chair, and Vice Chair, Phil Harrison, Director at Arup. Both come with excellent credentials and have close to 50 years of combined experience accumulated in the sector.
Dan Smith, Chair of Wales & Western said: “Having dedicated my entire career to the Wales and Western region, I hold a deep-rooted interest in the area. My previous roles, such as Design Manager for the S&C Alliance South and Engineering Director of the design team for the Core Valley Lines transformation project, have allowed me to help improve network reliability and connectivity in the region. I am committed to helping drive positive change and collaboration within the RIA group and across sectors in the region.”
Phil Harrison, Vice Chair of Wales & Western said: “There are many important and exciting opportunities which RIA Wales & Western can lobby for and support, including climate and coastal resilience schemes; opportunities for freight; new stations and other enhancements; decarbonisation; innovation, research, and development; and developing the skills of our next generation staff. I am delighted to be working alongside Dan and RIA members in the Leadership Group.”
The Leadership Group in RIA Wales and Western was formed to focus on understanding and actioning the priority issues for the Region/Nation. This will be achieved by working closely with industry, political and academic stakeholders to ensure a collaborative approach is adopted to support the growth and stability of the rail sector in the area.
Darren Caplan, RIA Chief Executive, stated: “We are delighted to welcome Dan and Phil as Chair and Vice Chair of the Leadership Group in Wales in Western Nation and Region. Their industry credentials and experience along with their exceptional leadership skills are exactly what we were looking for. I have every confidence that Dan and Phil will bring the group together in the most effective way which in turn will offer significant benefit to all those involved/represented. RIA Wales and Western will provide this area a powerful voice for the rail supply community.”
These new appointments mark an important milestone in the development of RIA Wales and Western and demonstrates the commitment by RIA to support the rail supply chain and its members.
Notes to Editors:
RIA Wales & Western represents members across Wales and the South West of England. Rail in this part of the country supports some 74,500 jobs and £3.6bn GVA (22,800 jobs and £1bn GVA in Wales; and 51,700 jobs and £2.6bn GVA in the South West) – see the Oxford Economics report, Economic Contribution of UK Rail,
here, pages 60-61.
The Leadership Group for Wales and Western is made up of RIA members with a passion to drive the priority issues and form a strong collective voice for the area. There are a number of events planned over the next 12 months which will be open to any RIA member to attend where we will hear from industry leaders in the area and also updates on the activity and outputs of the Leadership Group.