Women at Transdev: Leadership team strengthened with four new appointments

From engineering to tourism, we’re celebrating the appointment of four new female managers and supervisors across our Yorkshire and Lancashire networks.

This summer, we have strengthened our leadership team with some key new appointments – Central Stores Supervisor Lucy, Service Delivery Manager Dawn, Operations Manager Kat, and Tourism Manager Victoria.

Lucy Harris, Central Stores Supervisor

Lucy first joined Transdev as an office administrator but quickly realised that she much preferred our engineering stores over the office – for the past three years, she’s been our superstar Store Keeper over in Blackburn.

Store Keepers are vital to operations. When a vehicle needs repairing, Lucy allocates, orders, picks, packs, and organises delivery for the mechanical parts needed to get our buses back on the road.

Lucy has now stepped up to become the Supervisor of the whole Central Stores network. She will have a much bigger part to play in our engineering operation, overseeing all storekeepers and van driving teams across Lancashire and Yorkshire.

“Being the new supervisor of Central stores is a mixture of pressure, learning, and opportunity. I’m stepping into a role where I’m balancing people, stock, and processes all at once, but it’s very rewarding to see the end result, which is getting our buses back onto the road.

“I have a great team around me – without them I would be lost. I am able to support the Storekeepers and engineering staff across the patch more than ever, and I like having that responsibility.

“I really care about my work, and I think this new role shows that women can do this kind of job and especially for young women, if you work hard enough, it shows and pays off.”

Dawn Thompson-Cullen, Service Delivery Manager

Dawn started as a driver with Harrogate Bus Company in 2008, and 18 years later, she’s back – now as the new Service Delivery Manager, co-lead of the whole network.

A true trailblazer, Dawn was the first female Relief Duty Manager and the first female Duty Manager in company history; she joins from sister company FLYER, based in Idle, West Yorkshire.

“Because I’d been doing it for so long, my previous role in Idle was no longer a challenge, that’s why I jumped at the opportunity to Step Up and be the Manager for over 100 drivers now in Harrogate.

“People don’t realise how busy you are, all the time – this job never stops, even off the clock. You’ve got to have a certain kind of drive to be successful, and that’s actually what I’m enjoying the most.

“I never thought that I’d be doing this role, especially at the age of 60. But I’m loving the constant challenge, I’m always learning, learning, learning – I’m focused on thinking big picture and driving Harrogate forward.”

Kat Ayre, Operations Manager

Kat has worked in the bus industry for almost 22 years, starting as a bus driver before becoming Duty Manager, then Service Delivery Manager, and now joining Transdev’s Yorkshire Coastliner as Operations Manager.

Based primarily out of York, Kat will manage the delivery of Coastliner services, provide oversight to their fleet of vehicles, and support over 170 colleagues across three sites in West and North Yorkshire (York, Malton, and Idle).

“I know the bus industry pretty well, so the last few weeks have been about learning the Transdev way and learning the business – there’s a focus on people here, and I really appreciate that.

“People are the main part of our business; we need colleagues to work together in a collaborative and positive environment, so that we can provide the best service possible to customers.

“Personally, I want to really improve our operational efficiency. It’s a demanding network here at Yorkshire Coastliner, and our buses travel a lot of miles – but it’s also such a fabulous place to work. There’s nowhere quite like Yorkshire.”

Victoria Giannini, Tourism Manager

Victoria previously worked as a Revenue Manager for a regional theme park and has joined Transdev as the new Tourism Manager at CitySightseeing York.

Based in the heart of the city centre, Victoria leads CitySightseeing’s operation, managing sales for their open-top tour bus tickets, partnering with local businesses, and promoting this historic tourist hotspot.

“We have a fantastic team here at CitySightseeing who serve as ambassadors for everything that York offers to visitors, and for me personally, it’s been really interesting already. I like making connections and talking to people, so this role was the perfect fit.

“The goal for the next few years is to strengthen the incredible foothold we have here in Yorkshire and develop this team to reach new heights. York is such a beautiful place, full of history and culture, and I can’t wait to help show what it has to offer to visitors from around the world.”

Transdev Head of People Claire Swann said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Kat and Victoria to our management team, while also seeing Dawn and Lucy step into more senior roles within the business. These appointments reflect both our commitment to bringing in new talent and our focus on developing people from within.

 “While the transport industry has traditionally been male dominated, it’s important that we continue to recognise and support the contributions of a diverse workforce. By combining fresh perspectives with the experience of our existing teams, we are strengthening our leadership and the service we provide to the communities we operate in.”