Ife Akande interviewed by Rachel Norman

Interview with Ife Akande recorded by Rachel Norman on 13 February 2026. Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes 30 seconds. [Start of interview] Childhood, London, family background, Nigerian heritage, impact of parents divorce on childhood and family relations; growing up in London, friendships, travelling by bus, mobile phones then; Education, schools attended, experiencing racism at primary school, all-girl secondary school, values of attending a predominantly Black school; academic expectations, studying, pressure and resilience, school life, friendships [00:11:23]; University of Sheffield, studying mechanical engineering, career aspirations, interest in railways and renewable energy; her family’s expectation for her career, reflecting on education and career choices; placement at Network Rail (NR) during university, introduction to the railway industry, learning about rail operations and infrastructure, dealing with rail defects, High Speed 1 (HS1) in Kent. Return to university after placement, part-time job whilst at university; friendships from childhood and new friends during university. Family relationships, her responsibilities as the eldest child in a Nigerian household to care for relatives; impact of Covid 19 pandemic, cancelled A-levels. Reflecting on independence at university, how it felt to live away from her family, new friendships. [00:27:09] How successful placement at NR led to starting career after graduation being recruited by NR, joining NR Graduate Scheme, training details, values and positive team culture. Professional development and long-term career goals, working towards Engineering Chartership. Reflections on rail industry, being a Black woman in a predominantly white male industry, workplace culture. Work within NR Delivery Unit (NRDU), maintenance work, rail assets and infrastructure, York Central, East Coast Main Line, collaborative working, relationships within the team. She reflects on her identity, interest and hobbies. She talks about her experience of the workplace as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, being openly queer, how LGBTQ+ issues are addressed, respect and inclusion in workplace. How employees’ wellbeing is handled, supportive management. She discusses and reflects on representation and diversity in the workplace and in the rail industry, increase LGBTQIA+ diversity, a lack of ethnic diversity, awareness of Black engineers pursuing careers outside of rail, need for advocacy of rail engineering career. Relationships with family, support and pride of her family for her academic and career achievements. Relationship with younger sibling, reflecting on family dynamic, relationships and expectations on academic performance. Reflecting on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in education, differences in her experiences at school and university, reflections on racism, microaggressions; her involvement in the LGBTQIA+ community at University, being a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) LGBT+ representative on university LGBT Committee, societies she joined at university, hobbies, social life and friendships. [00:58:21] Coming out in sixth form and at university, first long term relationship, independence and being openly queer at university. Reflections on coming out. Career aspiration within NR, her interests and future plans. Travel and future aspirations, interest in living and working in North America, places and countries she wants to visit. Hobbies and leisure, interest in perfume, collecting fragrance, cigars; LGBTQIA+ identity, lesbian identity, importance of identity and representation, her personal style and appearance. Reflections on identities within the LGBTQIA+ community and gender expression; links between identity and working in rail industry. [01:21:46] Reflecting on gender expression, identity and expectations; her preference for masculine clothes and presentation, cultural identity, asserting personal identity through appearance. [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.