Technology in Rail 2026 in partnership with Hitachi Rail

Simon joined RIA as Technical & Innovation Director, leading the Association’s technical, innovation, digital, data and AI agenda at a pivotal time for the railway industry. He works closely with RIA members, government, clients and industry partners to help shape the future technical vision for the railway, accelerate the adoption of innovation, and ensure the supply chain has a strong and influential technical voice in the development of Great British Railways. 

With more than 35 years’ experience across the rail sector, Simon has held senior positions in organisations including  AtkinsRealis, Ricardo, Amey, Network Rail, PA Consulting, East West Railway and Fujitsu. His career spans both client and supplier organisations, giving him extensive experience in complex systems integration, technology strategy, digital transformation and large-scale industry change. 

A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Simon is passionate about helping the railway unlock the full value of innovation. He is particularly focused on turning promising ideas into scalable solutions that deliver measurable benefits for passengers, freight customers and the wider industry, while supporting a more efficient, sustainable and customer-focused railway.

Joined the rail industry in 2020, working within System Operator on strategic timetabling and performance modelling for HS2 Integration. At the start of 2023 I moved into change management working for East Coast Route on the delivery of ECDP. During this time, I worked on the readiness and delivery of the first overlay and signals away railway on the East Coast, the Northern City Line. Since 2025 I have been leading on looking at the signals away migration plan for ECDP and manage the programmes’ capacity and performance workstreams.

Susan Millington – Head of Programme Management (Capital Delivery) Network Rail

Susan Millington is a strategic leader in infrastructure delivery, currently serving as Head of Programme Management (Capital Delivery) at Network Rail. With a railway career spanning over 3 decades, Susan has led some of the most ambitious efficiency an innovation programmes in the UK rail sector.   

At the heart of Susan’s work is a commitment to unlocking efficiencies and embedding technology into capital delivery programmes.  Her leadership of the SPEED efficiency programme, which delivered £1.6bn savings during control period 6, saw SPEED become a cornerstone of Network Rail’s approach to smarter delivery – streamlining governance, challenging standards and embedding a mindset of continuous improvement across regional portfolios.  Her work has been instrumental in shaping national reporting frameworks and strategic health checks that drive accountability and performance.

Susan is the architect behind the Innovation Acceleration Forum, a cross industry initiative that empowers suppliers, operators, engineers and programme teams to challenge traditional ways of working with a view to streamlining processes and delivery and embed lessons learnt into future investment strategies.  Her leadership has been instrumental in launching on going technologies aimed at improving site safety and operational co-ordination nationally.

She is a key contributor to a number of steering groups, including the track community of practice – where she continues to champion boots off ballast surveying – her work includes the introduction of RILA and subsequently championing the use of drones.

Susan is a vocal advocate for collaborative working, having chaired panels and working groups that bring together suppliers, delivery teams and policy leads to tackle systemic challenges. Her development of the national lessons learnt framework has helped reduce project overspend by sharing knowledge and best practice across industry capital programmes.

Known for her inclusive leadership and strategic clarity, Susan brings a system thinking approach to programme management, regularly collaborating with the Department of Transport, regional delivery teams and industry partners to align investment with outcomes and ensure that technology adoption is both effective and sustainable.

At the On Track Technology panel, Susan will share her perspective on integrating emerging technologies into legacy infrastructure, fostering cross sector collaboration, and building delivery models that are fit for the future.

Ged Neacy is a railway systems and technology specialist with extensive experience in control, command, signalling, train protection and the digital railway.

Ged has held senior technical and industry leadership roles at RSSB and chairs a number of industry groups, including the Control, Command and Signalling StandardsCommittee, Digital Railway Assurance Steering Group and Digital Railway Safety Review Board. His work spans standards, systems engineering, safety assurance and the introduction of new technology across the railway.

As Professional Head of Control Command, Signalling and Communications at RSSB, Ged drove the development of RSSB’s Train Protection Strategy, published in 2025. The industry-backed strategy sets out the long-term approach to enhancing train protection on Great Britain’s mainline railway, including the transition towards ETCS and how safety risks will be managed during the 30-plus-year migration.

His particular focus is on the practical challenges of introducing digital technology into a complex, safety-critical railway - ensuring that innovation is safe, interoperable, assured and capable of delivering real operational benefits.

Matthew was at the core of the Northern City Line project and development and testing of Welwyn to Hitchin overlay for GTR. Now at Network Rail Matthew brings train operators delivery perspective to the national role out of ETCS.

Henny is a technology and innovation leader with nearly two decades’ experience turning emerging ideas into practical impact. From delivering technology showcases across the UK to improving public services through customer insight, his career has focused on making technology work better for people.

Since joining the UK Space Agency in 2018, Henny has worked with hundreds of companies to back innovation in satellite communications — from integrated user terminals to global connectivity services transforming how people live, work and travel in the world’s hardest-to-reach places.

Ken supports businesses across the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to explore the potential of space technology and access funding through ESA’s ACCESS programme.

With more than a decade of innovation funding experience, he helps space and non-space organisations assess eligibility and project viability, strengthen their business case and align applications with ESA’s assessment criteria.

Ken has presented and moderated at innovation events across Europe and beyond, including trade missions to China showcasing Scotland’s aerospace capabilities. His background spans EU-funded innovation programmes, specialist bid consultancy and managing multidisciplinary design teams across the aerospace, explosives, automotive and consumer sectors.

Combining technical, commercial and funding expertise, Ken brings clarity to complex ideas and helps businesses develop strong, credible proposals.

Luisa Moisio joined the Rail Safety and Standards Board in 2005 to improve how changes to standards were assessed. She moved to the research department in 2008 and was appointed Director of Research in 2017. In this capacity she leads the programme of research run by RSSB and funded by the Department for Transport. This provides new knowledge and solutions spanning a broad range of engineering and operations topics in which cross-sector collaboration is vital.

Since 2014 Luisa has been a member of the organising committee of the World Congress of Rail Research, and led the hosting of the last Congress in Birmingham in 2022.

She also sits on the Steering Committee of the UK Innovation and Research Network (UKRRIN) which fosters closer collaboration between academic centres of excellence in rail research and supply chain.

David Davidson is the Chief Operating Officer of South Eastern Railway, the UK's first integrated railway, established in June 2026 in readiness for Great British Railways. In this role, David leads the safe and efficient operation of the railway across train services, infrastructure, fleet and control operations, bringing together responsibilities that have traditionally sat across separate organisations.

As COO, David is responsible for the day to day operations of the railway, including drivers, fleet maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, signalling and control operations, providing end-to-end leadership for the railway. He is passionate about using integration to improve performance, enhance the customer experience and create a more responsive railway for passengers and freight customers alike.

David joined the Southern Region in June 2023 as Kent Route Director, leading the railway in Kent and overseeing its close alliance with Southeastern. He subsequently played a key role in the development of South Eastern Railway as the first integrated railway model ahead of the creation of Great British Railways. Prior to joining Kent Route, David was Interim Route Director for Network Rail's Western Route from October 2022 where he led the delivery of through running of Elizabeth Line trains from the Central Core onto the Western section.

Before this, David served as Operations Director for Anglia Route, leading the team through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, industrial action and the successful delivery of Operation London Bridge.

David started his railway career in 2006 as a General Management Graduate in the Wales and Marches area of the Western Route. Since then, his career has taken him from Cardiff to London via Derby, Ipswich, Washington DC and New York. He spent three years with Network Rail Consulting, undertaking senior roles in performance, operations and control management, supporting some of the world's busiest transport networks.

Payam Zargarzadeh is a Chartered Engineer and Principal Consultant specialising in systems engineering, digitalisation and emerging technologies for the rail and transport sectors. At Connected Places Catapult, he leads and supports innovation programmes with Network Rail and industry partners, translating emerging technologies into practical solutions for railway operations, safety and infrastructure.

With more than 25 years of engineering experience across rail, oil & gas, energy and advanced technology, Payam has worked across complex multidisciplinary systems spanning technology development, systems engineering, verification and validation, digital twins, asset monitoring and industrial innovation.

His recent work includes connected railway systems, high-accuracy positioning, geofencing, digital worksites and the development of technologies such as Dynamic Virtual Wall for safer ALO working. He also works closely with SMEs and technology innovators, helping bring emerging technologies into the railway environment.

Payam holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Cranfield University, is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE).

At Rail 5G and Beyond, Payam will explore how ubiquitous, high-quality 5G connectivity could become a foundational digital infrastructure for the railway—enabling applications ranging from IoT and intelligent CCTV to connected plant, geofencing, robotics, real-time digital twins and future emerging technologies.

Julian commenced his railway career in 1986 with London Underground, joining Network Rail in 2008, and has been involved with the Jubilee Line Extension, Crossrail, Thameslink, and Great Western Route Modernisation in technical and sponsorship roles. For the past five years he has worked in railway integration, leading the development of a new output integration capability and its application to the North of England portfolio which includes Transpennine Route Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Manchester projects, and HS2. His team is now helping integrate East West Rail into the national network.

Lee began his career as an HGV Technician, providing roadside breakdown support across the South of England from the turn of the millennium. Following redundancy in 2004, he joined Network Rail, where he has now built more than 20 years of railway experience.

Starting on the Permanent Way in Tonbridge, Kent, Lee worked on track maintenance and renewals before moving into tunnel inspections. With a strong technical background and a growing interest in electrical and mechanical systems, he joined the Signalling & Telecommunications (S&T) team in Ashford in 2008, later working in Sittingbourne and Wimbledon.

Passionate about technology and innovation, Lee subsequently transitioned into the role of Intelligent Infrastructure Technician (IIT) and Flight Engineer, working at the forefront of remote condition monitoring and digital asset management. More recently, he has moved into Asset Management as an Analyst, bringing together practical railway experience and data-driven decision making.

Director of Technology at evo-rail, responsible for the rollout of super-fast Wi-Fi on the busy SWR Waterloo–Basingstoke commuter line. With more than 25 years’ experience across a wide range of wireless technologies, I have held various technical and leadership roles spanning the design, deployment and operation of wireless networks.