Meet Ellie, NRL’s Rising Star of the Year 2023
Each December, colleagues from across the NRL Group come together for the NRL Christmas Conference, which includes everyone’s highlight – the NRL Group Awards.
Award submissions are welcomed from colleagues across the NRL Group’s business, before the Group Executive Board have the difficult task of drawing up the shortlist and determining the winners.
For 2023’s Rising Star of the Year award, Rail Administrator Ellie White won the trophy on the night. We asked her to reflect on her award win and her career so far with NRL.
Congratulations, Ellie how does it feel to win on the night and be recognised as the Rising Star of the Year?
2023 was a busy year for me in the company, especially now that I am starting to learn more about the health & safety side of the work that we do. I feel really grateful to have been recognised and receive the award.
This is your first role in the Rail industry, how have you found the last 18 months?
The last 18 months has really flown, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long at all. I’ve found it confusing at times, especially in the beginning, the rail industry being miles different from the health & social care background I came from.
I’m lucky to have a really supportive team around to help me when I’ve been unsure about anything.
You’ve had lots of opportunity to learn and develop new skills, do you enjoy this side of your role?
I’ve learned a lot in my time being here and I really enjoy what I do.
I’ve been undertaking some health and safety training recently which has been really interesting. The training has helped me have a better understanding of the work that we do and I can now apply that knowledge in my day-to-day tasks.
You’re supporting with developing the health, safety and compliance side of NRL’s Rail business, can you tell us more about that?
A big part of my job is managing the fatigue of the contractors we have on site. This includes planning their shift journeys alongside the duration of their shift through our worker dashboard to ensure that we are complying to Network Rail standards – whilst also ensuring that the contractors who work with us are safe. I also manage the post-shift fatigue, so that we can monitor their total hours worked.
In your role you interact with the Rail contracting teams and other support colleagues, do you enjoy working with a wide range of people?
I really enjoy working with a range of people as I get the opportunity to learn about things from diverse perspectives. I enjoy hearing about their different experiences working on track and especially when some of the contractors tell me how things have changed over time.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
I find it really rewarding to be part of a great team, and to collaborate with my colleagues to complete the work that we do. I get a lot of opportunities to learn new things and develop my professional skills.
Upon winning, a £500 donation was given to a charity of your choice, Andy’s Man Club – what made you choose them?
I chose Andy’s Man Club as they run support groups in aid of men’s mental health. It’s a subject that is really close to me, and the charity does some really important and amazing work in the community.
A credit to our Rail business
Ahead of the annual NRL Group Awards, the Group Executive Board shared their thoughts on the finalists, recognising Ellie’s continued progress: