SCDI was delighted to be joined in Aberdeen by Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail
Mark Carne, Chief Executive, Network Rail Delivers SCDI Annual Lecture 2015
SCDI was delighted to be joined in Aberdeen by Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail who delivered the Keynote Address to guests at our 11th SCDI Annual Lecture which took place at the Ardoe House Hotel & Spa, Blairs, Aberdeen on Thursday 15 January 2015.
In delivering the SCDI Annual Lecture 2015 in Aberdeen, Mark Carne told the audience of 300 assembled guests from SCDI's member base of the challenges facing the rail industry today. He drew parallels between both the Oil & Gas and Rail industries - with both mattering to the country and the economy; both being safety critical and operationally intense, involving huge investment in new projects and being politically sensitive. He noted that technology is a game-changer, that alliancing is key to success and that the rail industry must strive to be exciting to attract young staff - noting that "there are thrilling career opportunities in the railway of the future". He explored engineering, management and behavioural safety and examined how engineering innovation is used today to meet society's expectations of the railway.
Mr Carne outlined Network Rail's vision for the transformation of the UK rail network over the next 15 years through embracing digital technology. He noted that the UK is leading the way on rail, with one of the most intensively used networks in Europe, and a record 4.5 million people using the network daily. The UK industry has an enviable passenger safety record, among the best of any major European railways.
Outlining that the rail industry has seen tremendous growth in both passengers and freight over the last two decades, he highlighted that more people are choosing to use the railway than at any time since the 1920s and the projection is that in the next 20 years passenger numbers will more than double. This growth puts huge pressure on the infrastructure and there are difficult trade-offs to be made between capacity, reliability and cost as the rail industry tries to meet the changing demands of society.
Network Rail will spend £38bn in the next five years maintaining, improving and renewing the rail network to meet growing customer demand. This investment will deliver a railway fit for today and for the future. A railway that provides more, better and faster services at the highest levels of safety to passengers, public and staff. Mr Carne concluded in saying that Network Rail's aim is to deliver "A better railway for a better Britain".
Chair of SCDI's North East Committee, Colin Parker, said: "We are delighted that Mark Carne presented this year's Annual Lecture, an excellent way to start 2015, the 50th anniversary of SCDI's presence in both Aberdeen and Inverness.
During the afternoon prior to delivering our Lecture, pupils from Mackie Academy's SCDI Young Engineers & Science Club showcased their newly-honed STEM skills to Mr Carne, when he visited their school in Stonehaven. Mackie Academy were then presented with their Award of North East YESC Club of the Year 2014 by Mark Carne when they attended the SCDI Lecture 2015 as guests that evening. Their prize was in recognition of the range of projects they have undertaken which include a flood warning project, an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) and 3D Printing.
A Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Mark Carne said: "Producing highly-skilled and highly-motivated engineers and scientists is vital to the future success of not only the rail industry, but the country's economy as a whole. The pupils at Mackie Academy have shown a clear passion and talent for their subject and they thoroughly deserve to be recognised as the SCDI North East Young Engineers & Science Club of the Year."
Mackie Academy is one of 1,100 SCDI Young Engineers & Science Clubs throughout Scotland. YESC is a primary and secondary school Science, Techonology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) education progamme run by SCDI. The project has played a key role inspiring young people towards STEM careers since 1987 with more than 22,000 primary and secondary school pupils attending the clubs from Orkney to Dumfries.
Speaker Biography
Mark Carne became Chief Executive of Network Rail in April 2014. He was formerly Executive Vice-President for Royal Dutch Shell plc in the Middle East and North Africa, responsible for the company's business in a vital but volatile region at a time of significant political change. He placed particular emphasis on developing local staff and businesses, supporting each country as they addressed the issue of unemployment - and in the process helped Shell achieve a strong position in countries such as Iraq. Before taking on that role, he was Executive Vice-President and Managing Director for BG Group in Europe and Central Asia, following a 21-year period spent in a variety of roles with Shell including responsibility for Shell's oil and gas platforms in the North Sea and as Managing Director for Brunei Shell Petroleum. Earlier in his career he helped to lead the company's response to the disaster on the Occidental-operated Piper Alpha platform in the North Sea. Mark Carne studied engineering at Exeter University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He has strong Cornish roots and is an Independent Governor of Falmouth University. He is married with three children.
The SCDI Annual Lecture was established in 2004 as one of our key events in Scotland and has been held in Aberdeen on an annual basis since. Previous speakers have included Paul Walsh, (then) Chief Executive, Diageo plc; Peter Robertson, (then) Vice Chairman, Chevron Corporation; Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of SSE and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee; and Samir Brikho, Chief Executive, AMEC plc. The speaker at our 2014 Annual Lecture was Dr Marcus Richards, Oil & Gas industry leader and formerly Group CEO, Dana Petroleum plc and Senior Vice-President, BP.