Stuart Meek interviewed by Polly Gillivray

Interview with Stuart Meek recorded by Polly McGillivray on 25th October 2024. Duration: 1hr 24min 50secs. Childhood, family; education, school, small town; career prospects, GCSEs, vocational A level, supportive teachers; social life, choosing universities; [00:08:20] Loughborough University, Transport and railways, challenges, working hard, masculine environment; industry placement, work discipline; [00:13:40] 2006, PhD in transport economics, meeting partner, coming out to family, student union jobs, personal life kept private; PhD in 2½ years, his work discipline [00:15:20] post-PhD, Transport For London (TfL) graduate scheme; 2009, first job at TfL; Leicester to London move; first day at London Underground headquarters, commuting [00:16:20] PhD on interchange, Park and Ride schemes, impact on his railway job, communication skills in leadership [00:21:40] work at TfL, placements, operations at London Underground (LU), people and work culture, work as Operations Manager to Chief Operating Officer (Howard Collins); progressing to senior role running LU Network Operations Centre, Centurion Grade managers [00:26:20] LU Network Operations Centre, colleagues; not involved in LGBTQIA+ community; work culture, vision of diversity then, not LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, BAME communities, accessibility; transphobic abuse; [00:32:30] 2013, personal life, family, adopting child impact on being openly gay at work; changes at LU and TfL in operations and culture; prioritising family, adoption leave, colleagues reactions; headhunted by railway companies, responsibilities at TfL, move to Southern Railway TOC (Train Operating Company); Head of Control at Southern Railway, challenges, Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre (ROC), culture compared to TfL [00:36:20] Go-Ahead Group, South Central franchise, bid for Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR); General Manager, working with COO Dyan Crowther, GTR bid structure, sub-franchises, roles and responsibilities, being part of directors team, diversity; timeline Go-Ahead winning GTR contract, merger with South Central franchise [00:42:00] start of GTR, impact of Southern Driver-Only Operation (DOO) dispute, change in GTR, working with Angie Doll Managing Director of Southern/Gatwick Express as General Manager of Operations, DOO dispute, strikes, poor level of service, impact on passengers; setting LGBTQIA+ group, responsibility to support colleagues; [00:47:00] beginning of LGBTQIA+ support group; trainbow, Pride flag wrapping on train, new class 700; LGBTQIA+ group impact; leaders responsibilities towards their community; [00:53:30] team achievements at Southern; Business Development at Go-Ahead, international operations; final months as Train Services Director GTR, personal life, family grief, support at work; summer 2019, event management Brighton Pride, milestone GTR float at Pride; [00:58:00] September 2019, Go-Ahead, commute to Germany, work culture; 2020 covid-19 pandemic, remote work; covid impact on business development in railways; summer 2021 Thameslink Great Northern Passenger Service Director in GTR, changes; 2016 MBA sponsored by GTR, diversity in other industries, celebrating diversity, LGBTQIA+ heritage, bringing new perspectives; [01:05:30] LGBTQIA+ and BAME communities representation at South Western Railways (SWR); diversity beyond LGBTQIA+, “All Aboard” campaign National Inclusion Week 2023, everyone welcomed on SWR trains; LGBTQIA+ people and public transport; lack of support within LGBTQIA+ community, intersectionality, language for inclusivity [01:11:00] “All Aboard” campaign; employee engagement survey; Vauxhall station adopted by SWR Pride Network and LGBT HERO charity October 2024; [01:16:40] inclusivity in the railway industry; celebrating diversity; having a positive impact on all colleagues; loneliness of leadership in a large organisation, trusting he does the right thing; how contemporary society has changed, role of railways in society [end of interview]

This interview was made as part of People Pride and Progress (PPP) project. The project was initiated in 2023 to record the stories and memories of the LGBTQIA+ community in a new oral history archive over two years. It aimed to connect past, present and future through intergenerational interviews, offering opportunities for colleagues across all parts of the rail industry to connect, reflect on and learn from each other’s lived experiences while creating an archive of oral history interviews.