railbusinessdaily.com (RBD) has recently launched RBDCommunity – a dedicated business resource specifically set up to meet the needs of organisations working in the rail sector.
Eli Rees-King, Head of Product and Marketing, is helping drive forward the platform and has written the article below about her career journey and her passion for positive change for the rail industry.
Eli was previously Marketing Director at BCRRE Rail Alliance and a key member of a small but very effective team providing rail business support to organisations in the supply chain. Having worked in the rail industry for close to seven years, and prior to that in a number of other sectors, including automotive, Eli’s skills and experience sets her in good stead to help grow and develop the RBDCommunity and support the organisations and people within it.
“Little did I realise the value of starting out in the automotive industry with a university placement at Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port many years ago. Based in a portacabin set between the welding and production line and a daily walk into the office that took me through the vast shop floor, past huge panel presses noisily stamping out metal sheets, was not the placement I had expected – considering my degree was in Business and Marketing; but what a lasting impression it made on me – the magic of innovation, design, engineering, manufacture, and the importance of industry!
“Now with several years in the rail sector, in addition to running various businesses of my own, I find it fascinating when I look back to see how the journey has been mapped out in a way I could never have imagined. For all of the places I’ve been to, the people I’ve met and the roles that I’ve worked in, I am amazed that it is all connected in some way and it is the power of connections and joining the dots that I believe is the key to the success of any community.
“Helping to establish the RBDCommunity plays on all of my experience, knowledge and connections and being at railbusinessdaily.com feels like my natural home. It might be the companies that are named as members, but let’s not forget, it is about the people within those companies that make the real difference and by tapping into a engaged and proactive community that offers advice, collaboration opportunities and the chance to do business – this is what the RBDCommunity is about.
“You don’t need me to point out that the pandemic has caused a great deal of distress on a number of levels with the rail industry having its own wounds to bear. However, despite this, it is heartening to see that the prevailing mood in the rail industry is still one of optimism and belief that there is business to be made and not only that, but with values that reflect the very important agenda for net zero targets and green solutions needed to achieve this. The recent William-Shapps Review appears to be widely embraced as bringing in long overdue change to the sector with the passenger at the centre of this reform. Only by working together towards a common goal with collaboration and innovation at its heart will this vision succeed; and this could almost be the mantra for the community.
“The RBDCommunity is a place where new business relationships can be forged, collaborations can be nurtured, and company profiles can be raised. There will be plenty of dot joining and connection making and it is our mission to make the community a hot bed for new business opportunities either through networking and engagement or by acting on market intelligence carefully curated by the RBDCommunity team.
“Rail is well and truly under my skin and with a father in rail and now a partner in rail, you can imagine the conversation around the dinner table!”
If you would like to know more about the RBDCommunity and the benefits of joining, please go to www.railbusinessdaily.com/rbd-community/
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
