Alstom celebrates success at the Young Rail Professionals Awards 2025 in the UK

Meanwhile, Barry Calder, Infrastructure Engineering Director at Alstom won the Distinguished Service Award. As the YRP’s highest accolade, it is bestowed upon an individual who has made a profound, positive and lasting impact on the rail industry and, in particular the YRP community.

“At Alstom, we are committed to nurturing and empowering the next generation of rail professionals, and it is fantastic to see Harry and Barry recognised for their contributions. Their passion, innovation and leadership exemplify the values we strive to instil across our workforce. Congratulations to both on these well-deserved accolades,” said Carly Hutchings, HR Director at Alstom UK and Ireland.

Harry Bateman, Young Rail Professional of the Year

Harry Bateman has created and developed Alstom’s inaugural UK and Ireland podcast series, where he now serves as host, editor and producer – all in addition to his day job. As well as exploring the different people and roles that make up Alstom’s 6,000-strong workforce across the two countries, his series focuses on the importance of mental health and diversity among employees.

In his core role as Business Development Graduate, Harry has carried out short term placements within various teams, including Bid Management, Cost Management and Business Development. Each placement is focussed on a mixture of learning about the role and then working on new ways to help improve the processes within that area. Harry has conducted research into ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve efficiency, he built Power BI dashboards to increase the visualisation of data, and he had provided various aids in technical aspects of ongoing tenders – of which one he personally led.

“I feel extremely honoured to have been named Young Rail Professional of the Year. It was an absolutely amazing night, made even more special by the fact that my family attended the event as well!” said Harry.

The 25-year-old added: “Ever since joining Alstom in 2023, I’ve always felt like I could be myself and have been actively encouraged to do so. Without Alstom providing an environment where people feel safe and valued, we would not be in a position where colleagues want to get involved with initiatives such as the podcast.”

Hailing from Southampton, Harry studied at Embley School before completing his A-levels at Peter Symonds College in Winchester. He then went on to study BSc (Hons) Business Management at the University of Plymouth and later earned a Master’s degree (MSc Entrepreneurship and Management) from the University of Bath.

Barry Calder, Distinguished Service Award

Leading by example, 41-year-old Barry Calder has created a culture of transparency and accountability, where colleagues feel empowered to contribute and challenge the status quo. Not only has Barry emboldened the infrastructure team as a whole, he has also encouraged individual members to take on new challenges.

“Receiving the Young Rail Professional Distinguished Service Award is an immense honour for which I am deeply grateful. As I reflect on this recognition, I am filled with immense gratitude for the kind consideration for my nomination as well as the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my journey so far. This award inspires me to continue this commitment towards the support and leadership for young professionals in the rail industry.” said Barry.

Born in South Africa to Scottish parents, Barry moved to North Wales aged four and today lives in Flintshire. He is responsible for developing Alstom’s engineering infrastructure strategy, leading innovation and ensuring that tenders are supported that align with the company’s business development model.

Both Barry and Harry are based in Alstom’s Digital and Integrated Systems (D&IS) team. They are involved in the activities of providing systems, equipment and services for the transport sector, specialising in rail control systems and infrastructure. To date, Alstom has been involved in some of the UK’s most significant and innovative rail projects including installing Crossrail (Elizabeth line) signalling and slab track works, European Train Control System (ETCS) on the Great Western Main Line, ETCS Baseline 3 R2 First in Class onboard installations and High Speed 1 (HS1).

Meanwhile, Alstom was a founding member of YRP back in 2009 when it was established to promote the rail industry as a great place to work, inspire the next generation of railway talent and develop young people to reach their potential. Their annual awards ceremony showcases and celebrates the achievements of young rail professionals and their mentors.

“Congratulations to Harry and Barry on their award wins. In a very competitive field, their nominations were recognised by our judges as particularly outstanding and well-deserving of the honours they have received,” said Bonnie Price, Chief Executive Officer at Young Rail Professionals.

“We're very grateful for Alstom's ongoing support as a corporate member and were delighted to receive so many high-quality entries from them for our 2025 Awards. They have demonstrated their commitment to YRP's key goals to promote the rail industry as a great place to work, inspire the next generation of railway talent and develop young people to reach their potential. We look forward to continue working together over the next year.”

The Young Rail Professionals Awards 2025 took place on Thursday 20 March at Holland House Hotel Cardiff By Sunday in Wales. Alstom colleagues Niamh Mc Keating (Apprentice of the Year) and Yasha Siddiqui (Young Rail Professional of the Year) were also Highly Commended in their categories. Overall, Alstom was nominated for nine awards.

ALSTOM™ is a protected trademark of the Alstom Group.