A strategic approach to deliver rail decarbonisation

Speakers:

Tommaso Spanevello is Public Affairs Manager at UNIFE, responsible for innovation policy, digitalisation and sustainable and urban mobility. Since January 2018, Tommaso has also been the Executive Secretary of Rail Forum Europe, the Members of the European Parliament’s Association dedicated to rail transport. Prior to joining UNIFE, Tommaso was in charge of the policy department of the European Rail Infrastructure Managers Association (EIM). With a background in International law, Tommaso studied and worked in Italy, United States, Finland and Hungary.

Alex Burrows is Director of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE), part of the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham – the largest specialist railway research, education and innovation centre in Europe. Alex leads the BCRRE Enterprise Group (working alongside the Academic Group) with responsibility for commercial and professional services activities and building partnerships with the global rail industry. He is also the Thematic Lead for ‘Introducing Innovation’ in the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network – a ground-breaking partnership between academia and the rail industry. Alex is the Managing Director of the Rail Alliance, the UK’s rail cluster with a SME Community of more than 700 member organisation and an active member of the European Rail Clusters Initiative. Before joining the University of Birmingham in 2018, Alex was Marketing & Strategy Director at Alstom UK&I and has previously held senior roles at Atkins, the Transport Systems Catapult and Centro (the West Midlands Transport Authority). Alex is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.

David Clarke joined the Railway Industry Association (RIA) in 2016 as the Technical Director. His role focuses on representing members’ interests in the important areas of safety, technical standards, technical strategy, research and innovation. David is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution with over 30 years rail industry experience. Prior to joining RIA, David was the Innovation Director at RSSB where he was responsible for the cross-industry Future Railway Programme. His earlier career includes being Deputy Director, Rail Technical at the Department for Transport, prior to which he was a Director for two of the major rail infrastructure contractors having started his career with British Rail. As an engineer he has been responsible for structures and permanent way design, installation and maintenance, he has managed all railway engineering disciplines including command and control, electrification and the technical specification of rolling stock. He was heavily involved in the development of the UK Rail Technical Strategy.