Jamie Caldwell
Senior Manager, Customer Experience, The Greenbrier Companies, United States
Age: 38. Years in the industry: 9
JAMIE Caldwell is described as a current and future leader at Greenbrier and a “beloved and highly-valued employee.” She works on Greenbrier’s management services team, leading the customer service and contract administration group, and holding an account representative position that sees her work closely with many of the company’s key customers. Her team oversees critical customer-facing communications and coordination to ensure effective management of wagon fleets and that contracts are reviewed, implemented and adhered to.
A motivational leader, Jamie was a significant contributor to creating and managing Greenbrier’s current customer service approach. She did this by initiating a scalable process that includes cross-functional questions, issue tracking, and best practice knowledge transfer. Her nominator credits Jamie’s diligence and attention to detail for improving the customer experience team’s internal and external communications, which is providing better support for customers and their individual requirements. She has also twice been the recipient of Greenbrier’s Integrated Business Model Recognition Award, which recognises a team member that exemplifies cooperation between commercial business units, creates meaningful customer benefits, and increases cross-functional capabilities.
The high regard in which Jamie is held is reflected in her selection to lead a stretch assignment, directly sponsored by the CEO and management team. This project includes managing, coordinating and tracking a large, multi-business unit project, which will lay the groundwork for how Greenbrier manages work for the new programme in the future. Jamie was chosen to head-up the project due to her ability to reach every business unit within the company and to make sure that smooth and efficient processes are in place at the programme’s inception.
Her nominator writes that Jamie overcomes challenges through self-awareness, empathy and a willingness to drive the team towards excellence. Her managers also describe her as a passionate and dedicated worker who doesn’t back down from a challenge. “She enjoys solving problems and is dedicated to continuous improvement by holding her team to high standards while ensuring that she remains accountable,” they say. “We look forward to seeing Jamie’s continued growth and leadership at Greenbrier.”
James Zhang
Technical Director, Bridges and Civil Structures, Aurecon, Hong Kong
Age: 38. Years in the industry: 15
JAMES Zhang has been involved in a range of railway infrastructure projects during his career, including in his early years in the industry while working in his home country of Australia, and later in Hong Kong and Thailand. Two major highlights are his work to lead design of the Tung Chung East station on the MTR Tung Chung Line in Hong Kong and OR19 station on the Orange Line metro in Bangkok.
These complex projects have showcased James’ capability to effectively design both surface and underground stations. On the MTR project, James served as the design team lead and introduced innovative design solutions to enable delivery under a fast-track construction programme. He implemented the reduction of station length, the adoption of modular and precast construction methods, and established a robust system for managing design coordination throughout the project.
In addition, his use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) throughout the design and delivery of the project is a testament to his commitment to incorporating advanced technology in his work.
Indeed, James’ career objectives and goals are rooted in his passion for solving complex engineering problems and delivering innovative railway solutions. His nominator says he is committed to further integrating cutting-edge technologies such as BIM and modular construction techniques to improve project efficiency and quality. He also wants to implement sustainable practices in his projects, raising the standards of railway infrastructure development.
James’ status as a Young Rail Leader is emphasised by his success in leading a multi-disciplinary team to deliver the design of the entire Tung Chung Line station project. A notable initiative was bringing his design team together with engineers on the ground to improve project delivery. He also regularly made high-level decisions, liaising with government authorities for approvals, and coordinating with the end client to ensure timely delivery. The project is now in the detailed design and construction phase, and key milestones including the start of piling work have been met ahead of schedule.
“James possesses several qualities that make him an exceptional asset to any project,” his nominator writes. “Foremost among these is his proactivity. He doesn’t just react to challenges as they come; he anticipates potential issues and addresses them before they become problems. This proactive mindset has been instrumental in maintaining project timelines and ensuring the smooth execution of tasks.
“James is also highly engaged in his work. He’s not just interested in ticking off tasks on a checklist; he genuinely cares about the projects he works on and the teams he leads. He takes the time to understand all aspects of a project and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure its success.”
Florina Hoza
Systems Project Manager/Maintenance and Depots Expert, Systra, France
Age: 33. Years in the industry: 10
AMONG the highlights of Florina Hoza’s varied career at Systra is her work to effectively lead and coordinate a team of senior engineers to interface with the client and deliver major metro depot projects in Santiago, Jakarta, Buenos Aires and Bogotá. She has been helped by her ability to speak four languages, while her expertise contributed to the efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness of these major depot projects.
She is also playing a key role in the Grand Paris Express project. Here Florina is supporting work on four depots that will provide maintenance services for three automated metro lines totalling 230km, which will be served by more than 100 trains.
As an interface manager, Florina managed to solve an issue that was holding up the project, avoiding six months of potential delay and enabling the testing schedule to begin on time. On another occasion she stepped in after realising that work was not progressing as planned due to a major dispute between two stakeholders. Florina took it upon herself to solve the conflict by finding common ground between the two groups by focusing on the facts and finding an agreed way forward.
Another highlight of Florina’s work has been her leadership of the Maintenance Technical Network at Systra. The network has a global reach, connecting more than 40 experts in her field. Florina’s leadership helped to double the budget for the initiative this year, doubling the number of projects delivered by the network. She also recently led a webinar on “all you want to know about maintenance,” sharing her passion for the topic with colleagues working throughout Systra, and explaining complex concepts in a clear and comprehensible manner.
In the future Florina wants to develop the next generation of engineering experts by taking on a leadership role where she can influence the growth of Systra’s maintenance teams. Florina is a passionate advocate for advancing opportunities for young people and women into the industry. She is a native of Romania, and after moving to France to study she became president of a youth association that led intercultural humanitarian and educational projects. She is also a member of an association that works in senior schools to encourage young women to pursue careers in science. Florina often talks about her passion for her career in rail engineering, encouraging other young women to follow a similar path.
Her willingness to push the boundaries of her work and skills is reflected in Florina’s desire to always look for further ways to improve. She recently started studying psychology to better understand human behaviour, motivation and communications, so that she might provide more effective leadership and improve her problem-solving skills.
“Florina likes to go above and beyond, even when activities are not part of her job description,” her nominator writes. “She is passionate about creating a space where knowledge is shared and her motto is Team: together each achieves more.”
Yannik Thomas
Vice-President, Intermodal & Automotive Operations, Norfolk Southern, United States
Age: 38. Years in the Industry: 8
YANNIK Thomas is responsible for managing a network of 85 terminals and ramps across the eastern United States to offer a high-quality customer experience. He is also responsible for developing design engineering solutions for what are described by his nominator as the “most complex challenges to achieving Norfolk Southern’s goals for safety, service and productivity” in its intermodal and automotive businesses.
Yannik’s leadership philosophy is based on judging when it is best to listen and when to direct. He approaches challenges armed with data to identify the best path forward for his team. He is also a believer in getting buy-in from as many stakeholders as possible. However, he is also willing to drive the team to “disagree and commit” if there are unresolved differences of opinion after all practical analysis has been exhausted. Yannik subscribes to the view that the best operational leaders are at least a little paranoid, always asking what could go wrong and preparing for it.
Yannik possesses particular expertise in engineering and improving processes. This helped him to successfully lead a cross-functional team in NS to establish a high-frequency corridor between Chicago, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Croxton, New Jersey, in the second half of 2022, a project that has proven a major success for NS.
The challenge was to redesign an inefficient operating plan to increase both service quality and capacity. The result was a complete recast of the operating and terminal plans for all trains to and from northeastern states to originate and terminate at the 47th Street intermodal facility in Chicago, the busiest on the NS network. This new high-frequency plan has since improved service performance by over 30%, achieving over 90% reliability.
In addition, the rate at which NS moves containers and road trailers has improved dramatically, resulting in more capacity and better asset utilisation for customers on these key routes.
The success of this project is testament to Yannik’s passion for contributing to the growth of the North American rail freight sector. Indeed, he has set himself a target of doubling NS intermodal shipments by 2030.
Part 1 of Young Leaders in Rail Awards 2023 can be found here
Part 2 of Young Leaders in Rail Awards 2023 can be found here
Part 4 of Young Leaders in Rail Awards 2023 can be found here
