The Young Leaders Advisory Board (Y-LAB)

The voice of young professionals in the rail industry

Board Members

James Forrest

Senior System Assurance Engineer - John Holland Group

Jorge Martin Gistau

Business Development Manager - Ricardo Rail Australia Pty Ltd

Samiha Najem

A/Associate Director Operational Technology - Sydney Trains

Sebastian Smith

A/Wayside Solutions & Services Manager - ARTC

Kelly Douglas

Acting Head of Infrastructure Governance - Metro Trains Melbourne

Charlotte Robinson

HR Manager - Alstom

Ben Cribb

Operations Manager NSW - One Rail Australia Pty Ltd

Lauren Fraser

Senior Systems Engineer - GHD

Board Reserve Members

James Dillon

Project Manager - ARTC

Beata Majidi

Project Manager, Rolling Stock Projects - Yarra Trams

The ARA Young Leaders Advisory Board (Y-LAB) is an eight-person board bringing together young leaders from across the rail industry to harness the insights of our emerging talent and consider the issues, projects and priorities on the ARA Board agenda.

Reporting to the ARA Board to provide its position, proposals and/or advice, Y-LAB is supported by a Y-LAB Advisory Group, comprised of ARA Board members.

The purpose of the Y-LAB is to:

  • Formally engage the younger generation of the Australasian rail industry on key industry issues.
  • Provide a voice for and be a champion of the industry’s younger demographic.

The Y-LAB develops an annual strategy to outline its key priorities for the year, demonstrating alignment with the broader ARA Board strategy.

The Y-LAB provides representation from across the various rail sectors and jurisdictions and members are appointed from a competitive application process for a tenure of two years.

The Y-LAB’s Strategy 2024 closely aligns with the ARA Strategic Plan 2022-25.

To keep up to date with the Y-LAB’s events and activities, follow them on the ARA’s Young Rail Professionals LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848686/

You can view the current Y-LAB strategy here.

Key contacts

General Manager – Supply Chain and Diversity