Meet your new partners
Experienced rail professionals; trusted partners.
When you ask our clients what makes SLC Rail different, you’ll find that it all comes back to our people. We attract exceptional people who are passionate about rail and have experience from all parts of the industry. We are proud to be trusted as true partners throughout the project lifecycle.
Highly motivated,
Rail experts
We are a team of rail professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise across a wide variety of environments and disciplines.
We believe in nurturing talent and investing in individuals, providing formal training and encouraging people to acquire new skills and follow their ambitions.
Our Departments and Offerings
We collaborate closely with clients to transform project aspirations into reality. Our team of Project and Programme Managers have diverse backgrounds spanning Engineering and Construction, Project Controls, Rail Systems, and Commercial Management, complemented by a network of specialist associates.
From the initial concept to the development stage, we assist in articulating the business case, navigating the intricacies of the rail industry, drawing on our direct experience in innovative investment, train operations, and scheme delivery.
Our multidisciplinary team has backgrounds covering civils and structures, mechanical and electrical and rail systems supported by further specialist associates. Our engineers guide complex rail projects from development through delivery and Entry Into Service. Well-versed in rail industry standards, our team employs bespoke requirements management processes, ensuring a focus on outcomes.
At every stage, safety is paramount, and we adhere to CDM and CSM standards and guidance documents. We embrace challenges, steering away from the norm to deliver a project that benefits end users—everyone from the staff managing the rail station to those maintaining the facility to the passengers using it.
Our dynamic Planning and Controls team works with various facets of a project to maintain meticulous oversight to ensure that plans come to life and stay on course throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Navigating the unpredictable terrain of project risks is a core competency of our Planning and Controls team. We go beyond conventional risk management by offering advanced solutions such as Monte Carlo analysis as part of our Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) suite. This comprehensive approach enables us to identify, assess, and mitigate risks effectively, giving our clients the confidence to pursue their projects with minimal uncertainty.
We provide comprehensive commercial management throughout every phase of your project. With expertise in both pre-and post-contract operations, our team delivers tailored solutions that align with your project goals.
We can also develop and deliver your procurement strategy, ensuring your project benefits from effective and strategic procurement practices tailored to the railway. Precision in estimating is paramount, and our team is equipped with the skills to provide accurate estimates and validate them meticulously. We specialise in quantity surveying services, ensuring that your project stays on budget and that you clearly understand the financial landscape.
Our Commercial Team is proud to be specialists in Network Rail agreements, including BAPA, APA, and IA, meaning you can benefit from our in-depth knowledge and experience in navigating the intricacies of these agreements.
Our dedicated team of railway experts has extensive experience in the industry. With a wealth of knowledge, our team excels in engaging at both local and national levels, collaborating with diverse stakeholders to support scheme sponsors seamlessly.
We help our clients define requirements and scope, develop comprehensive local and regional rail strategies, and build robust management and commercial cases. From economic appraisal and demand forecasting to exploring Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) improvement strategies, we cover every aspect of the strategic planning process. We determine modelling approaches for schemes, develop bespoke new station models, and address journey time and abstraction mitigations.
Our people are an active part of their communities
We are keen to support staff in volunteering, fundraising and awareness building for local, national and international causes.
Our leadership team
Ian is the founder and co-owner, and Managing Director, of SLC Rail and very much a hands-on member of the team, closely involved with clients and their schemes. A qualified accountant and finance director by background, he has considerable experience of structuring innovative third-party-delivered railway projects from both within the industry and alongside it. By challenging standard funding models, developing bespoke commercial structures and giving investors reassurance about risk, Ian has been instrumental in delivering more than 20 new railway stations and infrastructure schemes starting with Warwick Parkway, the first new station to be built since privatisation.
Ian successfully gains the support of senior stakeholders, such as government officials, Council members and rail industry executives for the case for a scheme. He has led as project sponsor through development and delivery, including funding applications, and developed highly effective value enhancement of completed assets, strengthening the case for investment.
He has worked in the UK railway industry for over 25 years and has a comprehensive understanding of the complex web of processes and issues to be navigated in order to get a scheme underway.
Sam is an accomplished Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. She has over 25 years’ experience leading multidisciplinary engineering projects.
She specialises in new stations and railway infrastructure and has a wealth of experience in design and project management as well as strategic rail development roles.
She is experienced in managing all stages of design and delivery and understands how to construct schemes in the complex railway environment. She also has an excellent understanding of the implications of development for the wider environment, anticipating and managing potential frustrations for schemes.
Sam is Company Director and shareholder at SLC Rail, leading the engineering team, operational integration, HR, marketing, communications, and wellbeing as well as our EDI.
Ian brings 25 years’ experience in a range of senior commercial and operational railway roles to the SLC Rail Board as Strategy Director. As a director at Chiltern Railways during its innovative 20 year franchise, he led transformative investment in the TOC’s passenger services, stations and supporting infrastructure. As a senior sponsor with Network Rail, he developed and delivered multiple third-party funded new infrastructure schemes.
Ian leads the evolution of clients’ rail strategies, supporting regional authorities in making compelling, evidenced cases for investment in rail infrastructure and services that help deliver economic growth. His comprehensive knowledge of high-level industry strategy, railway operations and markets for rail travel helps our clients to understand the commercial, financial and political implications of their proposed schemes and to gain the support of rail industry stakeholders in the key stages of its development, critical to successful outcomes.
He has a strong reputation within the industry and with local authority partners for providing trusted advice and is an excellent ambassador for high profile projects under intense political and media scrutiny.
Helen is a qualified accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the finance sector in the United Kingdom and overseas in roles as an auditor, project accountant, finance manager and finance director. She prepares management accounts, setting up reporting structures for programmes and overseeing external audits. She reviews existing business processes and standards, developing a risk framework and implementing new disciplines to address gaps, ensuring tight control over clients’ budgets.
She works closely with project teams to understand the client’s specific financial reporting requirements and develop bespoke structures in order to satisfy their stakeholders’ concerns.
Paul is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and has long been a member of the Association of Project Management. He is a highly effective major projects and programmes director with over 25 years’ experience of complex engineering project and programme delivery in a wide variety of environments within and outside rail. He joined SLC as a Board Director in October 2018.
He has a wealth of experience leading large teams through challenging delivery, uncertainty and organisational change, often in very challenging circumstances and is an active Joint Venture Board member for SLC. At Network Rail he was a route delivery director, followed by programme director in the Infrastructure Projects Engineering Directorate, equipping him with deep insight into Network Rail’s way of working. Having cut his teeth leading engineering projects world-wide in the British Army’s Royal Engineers, he also delivered major technology refresh and capital delivery programmes for Defence, before joining the rail industry. He brings the benefit of all this experience to support the achievement of SLC’s clients’ schemes in the UK and Internationally.
Nathan is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and sits on the SLC Rail Board as Delivery Director. He has led large infrastructure programmes through from feasibility to entry into service and handover, always with a strong focus on managing client and supplier stakeholders. He provides consistency of strategic direction and successfully communicates this within the team and with wider stakeholders, critical to successful project delivery.
Nathan takes a broad view of his accountabilities, encompassing positive commercial outcomes, procurement strategy and financial reporting, as well as embedding a strong safety culture in his teams.
Neil joined SLC Rail as Non-Executive Director in July 2022, providing support and challenge for SLC Rail Board as the organisation continues on its rapid growth trajectory.
Neil, a qualified accountant, has worked extensively in the public transport sector; much of it in heavy rail, and has experience in financial services, telecommunications, media and central government. He joined British Rail as a management trainee in 1992 and held senior financial and commercial roles at both First Great Western and Chiltern Railways. He joined Stagecoach’s East Midlands Trains business from the global media company CBS Outdoor Ltd, where he was UK Bus & Rail Director. When Stagecoach operated in UK Rail, Neil was the chair of the Rail Delivery Group (the rail industry’s trade association) Customer Board (the board for FDs, Commercial, Customer, Project Directors and CIOs).
Want to join the team?
We’re always on the hunt for people to join our growing project management, commercial and engineering teams. See for yourself how rewarding a career jump to SLC can be.