Difference between revisions of "Helen Smith"

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'''Helen Louise Smith''' (b. July 1976) was announced as [[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#General_Manager|General Manager]] of both SVR(H) and the Guarantee Company on 11 October 2019, in succession to [[Nick Ralls]]. She was born in Yorkshire.
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'''Helen Louise Smith''' (b. July 1976) was [[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#General_Manager|Managing Director]] of SVR(H) and General Manager of the Guarantee Company on between 2019 and 2023, in succession to [[Nick Ralls]]. She was born in Yorkshire.
  
 
==Prior to the SVR==
 
==Prior to the SVR==
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She graduated in 1997 from the University College of Ripon and York St John as a Bachelor in Communication Arts, and in 2001 obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Huddersfield<ref>LinkedIn profile</ref>.
 
She graduated in 1997 from the University College of Ripon and York St John as a Bachelor in Communication Arts, and in 2001 obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Huddersfield<ref>LinkedIn profile</ref>.
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==At the SVR==
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As with her predecessor, the new General Manager’s arrival was followed by several serious events, in this case [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2020-2029#2020|Storm Dennis and severe flooding]], the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]] which coincided with a major project at [[Falling Sands Viaduct]], and landslips at [[Sterns]] and [[Alveley Sidings|Alveley Woods]]. From 2022 the Railway, like other attractions, faced drops in visitor numbers made worse by an economic downturn and cost-of-living crisis.<ref name=bljan23>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljan21 Branch Lines, January 2023]</ref> 
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In 2020 she became an SVR(H) director, the first woman to do so. In 2021 she was confirmed as managing director, taking complete responsibility for the safe operation of the Railway, its financial health and future growth. She left in February 2023 to become chief operating officer at St Aubyn Estates, helping to look after St Michael’s Mount.<ref>The Railway Magazine, March 2023</ref>
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Helen steered the SVR through the pandemic, ensuring it secured substantial government support and emergency grant funding. She oversaw the reopening of the Railway in very changed circumstances with the country still in partial lockdown. During her leadership the Railway won a [[Awards | national VisitEngland excellence award for Resilience and Innovation]]<ref name=bljan23/>.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
[[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#General_Manager|SVR General Managers]]
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*[[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#General_Manager|SVR General Managers]]
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
 
==Links==
 
[https://www.svrlive.com/copy-of-svr-holdings-board SVR Senior Management team on SVR Live]
 

Latest revision as of 13:34, 27 February 2023

Helen Louise Smith (b. July 1976) was Managing Director of SVRSevern Valley Railway(H) and General Manager of the Guarantee Company on between 2019 and 2023, in succession to Nick Ralls. She was born in Yorkshire.

Prior to the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Helen was previously Deputy Director at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset. Her earlier roles were as General Manager at The Fusilier Museum in Bury and Operations Director at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.[1]

She graduated in 1997 from the University College of Ripon and York St John as a Bachelor in Communication Arts, and in 2001 obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Huddersfield[2].

At the SVRSevern Valley Railway

As with her predecessor, the new General Manager’s arrival was followed by several serious events, in this case Storm Dennis and severe flooding, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which coincided with a major project at Falling Sands Viaduct, and landslips at Sterns and Alveley Woods. From 2022 the Railway, like other attractions, faced drops in visitor numbers made worse by an economic downturn and cost-of-living crisis.[3]

In 2020 she became an SVRSevern Valley Railway(H) director, the first woman to do so. In 2021 she was confirmed as managing director, taking complete responsibility for the safe operation of the Railway, its financial health and future growth. She left in February 2023 to become chief operating officer at St Aubyn Estates, helping to look after St Michael’s Mount.[4]

Helen steered the SVRSevern Valley Railway through the pandemic, ensuring it secured substantial government support and emergency grant funding. She oversaw the reopening of the Railway in very changed circumstances with the country still in partial lockdown. During her leadership the Railway won a national VisitEngland excellence award for Resilience and Innovation[3].

See also

References

  1. SVRSevern Valley Railway NBINotice Board Issue. The SVR's on-line method of circulating information to working members.
  2. LinkedIn profile
  3. 3.0 3.1 Branch Lines, January 2023
  4. The Railway Magazine, March 2023