Rail Talent 2030: Building the Workforce of the Future

Sophie Willmott is a nationally recognised Early Careers leader, known for transforming how major organisations attract, develop and retain future talent. With more than a decade of experience shaping large‑scale graduate, apprenticeship and intern programmes, she has become a respected voice in skills strategy, inclusive hiring and the evolution of early talent pathways in the UK.

Sophie joined Transport for London in June 2025 as the Early Careers Lead, where she heads a team of specialists responsible for designing and delivering one of the UK’s largest and most diverse early talent portfolios. She leads the Early Careers strategy across the organisation, aligning it to TfL’s long‑term workforce needs and the Mayor’s Skills Strategy, while championing inclusion, opportunity and development for people from all backgrounds.

Before joining TfL, Sophie held senior talent leadership roles at BT, CBRE and Mott MacDonald.

Her work has earned industry recognition throughout her career, including being named a Top 30 Person of Influence in the Early Careers industry and serving as a long‑standing ISE Awards Judge

Jenni leads The Talent Foundry team on its strategy, growth and impact. She has worked in the third sector for 25 years increasing income, devising marketing and communications campaigns across youth, skills development, sport, and children's health organisations. She has held senior leadership positions at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Invictus Games Foundation.

She was the first in her family to go university, taking a non-traditional route to her undergraduate degree, culminating in an MSc in Charity Accounting & Financial Management from Bayes Business School.

She is a Trustee of the Active Essex Foundation which supports young people at risk of violence through sport interventions. Jenni is a keen sportswoman, taking part in triathlon and duathlon.

The Talent Foundry has been working the rail industry since 2020. With Network Rail, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and over 15 train operating companies, we’ve delivered industry-focused programmes that inspire young people from under-served areas to build their skills and confidence and consider a career in rail. 

Chrisma Jain is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and senior rail industry leader with over 20 years’ experience in the UK transport sector. She is currently Head of Innovation at Network Rail High Speed.

Throughout her career, Chrisma has developed deep expertise in track renewals, rail infrastructure delivery and strategic programme management, contributing to the modernisation and reliability of London’s railway systems.

In addition to her industry role, she is a prominent professional leader within the engineering community. She serves as President of the Railway Engineering Institution (RailEI, formerly known as the PWI), where her presidential theme, Shaping Rail’s Future: Innovation, Change and the Skills Gap, reflects her commitment to workforce development, technology adoption and industry-wide collaboration. She is also a strong champion of diversity, inclusion and professional development across the rail sector, and regularly contributes to industry forums, conferences and cross-sector initiatives.

Her contributions to engineering have been widely recognised. She was awarded Engineer of the Year at the Engineering Talent Awards and has also been named a Top 100 Rising Star in Engineering, alongside other industry commendations.

Gloria Gaspard is an experienced skills and employability leader, known for advancing inclusive recruitment and creating pathways for underrepresented communities. With over 15 years’ experience across London’s transport sector, she has built a strong track record in developing skills programmes that drive social mobility and long-term workforce change. Gloria began her career as a participant on an employability programme at the London Transport Museum — a transformative experience that taught her that without deliberate interventions to disrupt existing systems of recruitment, skills training and careers guidance, the workforce would not reflect the city it serves.

This insight continues to shape her approach to designing employability programmes that connect talent with workforce demand. Alongside her professional role, Gloria has served as a Non-Executive Board Member for A Fairer Chance CIC since 2021, supporting work to improve employment outcomes for individuals often excluded from traditional recruitment pathways, including those leaving the criminal justice system.

Worked in NR for 24 years in a variety of data management, business improvements, and safety then internal audit roles.  Around 10 years ago following an audit I led in this area I started helping the EDI team on governance and targets.  I found out then about many challenges colleagues faced that I had no idea as not faced them, as a white, non-disabled, heterosexual man in the rail industry.  With having 2 daughter I wanted to do something positive to make a difference across all minority groups.  I got a senior role in the team 8 years ago and aged 44 final found what I wanted to do when I grew up! wrote the 5 year EDI strategy, designed new measures and then from 2021 led the team and this work.  My background in audit and data really helps to ensure we have a data driven approach to all our work following those insights enabling us to sometimes take positive action.

I believe that inclusion is essential for any business to thrive where everyone is valued and safe to be themselves and has a voice.  Diversity is happening but inclusion is a choice and without inclusion you wont get the benefit of that diversity

Raye Fullard is a Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Rail Delivery Group (RDG), where they lead work to embed inclusive practices across the organisation, support staff networks, and create a workplace where people feel they belong and can thrive. Raye is also a member of the EDI Charter for Rail Working Group, where they support organisations across the industry to drive measurable progress on equity, diversity and inclusion, and turn commitments into meaningful change.

I am Head of Human Factors at the Rail Safety Standards Board, a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Ergonomist. For 20 years I have been applying my Human Factors expertise across a range of safety critical industries, including rail, nuclear, oil and gas, energy, utilities, defence, emergency services and healthcare. 

I lead a team of 13 Human Factors professionals in the areas of digital transformation, human factors integration and assessment, ergonomics, competence management, training, selection and assessment, safety culture and front-line leadership.

Ben is part of HS2's Innovation team, driving new ideas, technologies, techniques and practices across the programme. Innovation at HS2 manage a portfolio of high value projects, with the aim of creating significant value to the programme and a lasting innovation legacy for the UK.

Prior to joining HS2, Ben was Head of Innovation and Technology at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, designing and delivering a new innovation methodology under their Innovate brand, and before that spent 8 years working in Heathrow Airport's Innovation and Automation team, helping solve business challenges across the airport through trials of new and emerging technology.

Ben began his career as a software developer and has worked in a number of digital and IT roles in both large enterprises and start-ups for more than 25 years, using his expertise to help clients and end-users understand and overcome technical challenges.

Neil joined NSAR in 2015 from the utility sector, where he was CEO of the Energy & Utility Skills Group.  Before that he was CEO at the British Insitute of Innkeeping

Prior to these sectoral CEO roles, he held senior positions in government departments for education and business, where he had responsibilities in skills, employability, English and migration, regional economic development, and European Structural Funds.

Neil has also worked with Babcock, City & Guilds, and the Scottish Qualifications Authority. He started working life as a trainee quantity surveyor for GA Group, before studying and tutoring at Edinburgh University, specialising in socioeconomic theory.

Currently, Neil is also a board member of Women in Rail, Rural and Urban Training Scheme, Rethinking Outcomes, and the Horseracing Industry People Board.

In his spare time, he likes riding motorbikes and planting trees.