Derby-based rail recruitment firm ISS Labour has seen one of its leading engineers, Natalie Dickinson, named Rail Engineer of the Year at this year’s Rail Staff Awards.
Based at the firm’s Salford office, Natalie has more than thirteen years’ experience specialising in Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) and is highly regarded within the OLE industry. She is also the first female to win this award since the programme launched in 2006.
Natalie joined ISS Labour in September 2015 and over the past fourteen months she has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s OLE division, which provides skilled railway engineers to undertake OLE work on the UK’s rail network. This includes isolating the 25,000 volt lines so work can be undertaken in a safe and controlled environment.
This aspect of the business now employs more than 150 OLE professionals and is on track to turnover £4million by the end of the current financial year in March 2017.
Before becoming part of the fast-growing team at ISS Labour, Natalie worked for Network Rail as a key member of the OLE Maintenance team in the North West. Natalie is currently supporting future OLE engineers at ISS Labour’s state-of-the-art training centre in Salford and with on-site support.
Commenting on her award, Natalie said: “To find out that I am the first woman to receive this award is a tremendous achievement, and I hope this will inspire more female engineers across the sector to continue carving out their own career. I love the work that I do and while the rail industry is seen as male-dominated, there are so many opportunities for both men and women to do well in this industry.”
Simon Higgens, CEO of ISS Labour, added: “It’s fantastic to see Natalie’s work commended by the wider industry. She is an absolute asset to our business and thoroughly deserves this recognition.”
ISS Labour is part of the Specialist People Services (SPS) group, and in the year to March 2016 the business recorded total turnover of £21m. SPS acquired the business in 2013.
SPS, the diversified recruitment group that also owns the Driver Hire brand, is backed by private equity firm LDC and has annual revenues of over £120m.
Further coverage: http://www.spsgroup.uk.com/news/iss-labours-natalie-dickinson-named-rail-engineer-of-the-year/
