With less than a month to go until Infrarail 2018, organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions have announced that the show will be officially opened by Network Rail chief engineer, Jon Shaw.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, Jon has held high-profile roles with major rail businesses including Hitachi, Ansaldo STS and Bombardier, where he was VP Engineering, responsible for the design development and maintenance engineering of Bombardier’s trains across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Jon will join a panel including Stephen Brooks, chairman of event organiser Mack Brooks, and Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association for the official opening ceremony of Infrarail 2018, which returns to ExCeL London in the capital’s Docklands from May 1 to 3.
Doors open at 10am with the official opening ceremony taking place in the seminar theatre of the exhibition hall at 10.30am.
Infrarail 2018 will host a jam-packed series of events alongside the main exhibition, which sees more than 200 organisations exhibiting their products, services and equipment in an all-encompassing infrastructure showcase.
Alongside the exhibition is a programme of integrated events designed to educate and inspire, including keynote speeches, project updates and technical seminars and education events, all of which are CPD-certified, meaning they can be used towards attendees’ annual Continuing Professional Development.
Lorna Pimlott confirmed as HS2 keynote speaker
Joining a host of leading industry names giving keynote addresses is HS2’s Director of Phase Two Policy & Sponsorship, Lorna Pimlott. Lorna is responsible for the sponsorship and policy advice across Phase 2a and Phase 2b of the landmark project. She leads the interfaces with DfT Sponsors and Senior Stakeholder relationships, to ensure the delivery and safeguarding of the HS2 business cases and the optimisation and protection of their benefits.
Lorna will be speaking on Thursday 3rd May at 10.30am and will be followed by Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group at 01.30pm. Also confirmed as speakers are the Secretary State for Transport Rt Hon Chris Grayling (Tuesday 1st May at 11.50am) and Managing Director of Digital Railway, Network Rail, David Waboso (Tuesday 1st May 01.50pm), with two others to be announced soon.
Dedicated educational programme, free for all attending
2018 also sees the launch of a stand-alone Knowledge Hub at Infrarail: a dedicated educational theatre, organised in association with the Railway Industry Association, that offers a full programme of Project Updates and Industry Briefings. The Knowledge Hub will further feature a daily afternoon Keynote Address by a high-profile industry leader and will also host ‘The Platform’: an RTM-led panel discussion on a range of issues concerning the wider industry.
Still time to register
Kirsten Whitehouse, Exhibition Manager for Infrarail, said: “As the exhibition opening date rapidly approaches, we are delighted to announce Network Rail’s Jon Shaw as the official opening speaker for Infrarail 2018. Jon’s knowledge and practical experience of Britain’s rail network make him an ideal choice to open the exhibition, and we look forward to hearing his insights into this landmark period for the industry, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“This year’s exhibition promises to be one our biggest and most eventful in recent years, as we have devised a programme aimed at providing something for everyone in our industry and the various sectors they operate.
Kirsten added: “Registration continues to be very popular, but for anyone that hasn’t signed up yet, it is still free to do so until Monday 30th April, so avoid disappointment and join us from May 1-3 for the rail networking event of the year!”
