TESTIMONIALS

ROUTE DIRECTOR - 2023

I had the privilege and pleasure of working with Mark during my time in the Rail Industry. There is never going to be an easy time to manage front line Infrastructure maintenance and the Sussex Route where our paths crossed was no exception!

To this day I find Mark to be one of the most reliable and committed Leaders I have ever met. He would never deliberately let anyone down and is always happy to lead from the front. Mark has a unique quality in communicating at all levels within an organisation and deliberately spends an equal amount of time at board level and with people who are junior and have just joined the company.

You would struggle to meet a more charismatic leader, which is why I am happy to provide this recommendation to my dear friend Mark Groombridge.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - 2023

I have worked with Mark for many years. He is a seasoned professional with a huge passion for safety. His values and behaviours are exemplary and he can always be relied upon to do the right thing. His strong character and ability to get things done make him a pleasure to work with.

GROUP HSE DIRECTOR - 2023

A consummate professional with a wealth of rail health and safety experience mixed with the great benefit of an operational background. Mark was one of my top team at Balfour Beatty before I retired recently and a pleasure to work with. I will always reflect positively on his passion, care, thirst for learning and improvement, and genuine drive to deliver strong health and safety performance.

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR - 2022

Mark is a professional and driven Health and Safety Leader with extensive experience and knowledge of the Rail Sector. He demonstrates a strong track record in making change happen and maintaining high levels of performance. Effective communication and influence are key strengths which enable Mark to lead and support others to consistently achieve their goals. I have worked with Mark over the last 10 years and have no hesitation in recommending him.

HR & ASSURANCE DIRECTOR - 2015

Mark brings energy and enthusiasm to everything he does. His high standards and action orientation mean that he never fails to deliver. He provides leadership and structure for his team and ensures the same levels of focus from them - he has been a tremendous asset to our team at Balfour Beatty Rail and excellent personal support to me.

ROUTE MANAGING DIRECTOR - 2013

A dynamic, organised and energetic leader. Mark Groombridge is energetic and keen to do well for his customers and his workforce; he strives for continual improvement. He has excellent fundamental personal values, a traditional sense of high standards, and plenty of earthy common sense. He is constantly alert to the safety issues surrounding his organisation. He provided an impressive infrastructure maintenance service to the Northern half of the busiest rail route in Europe - a punishing and demanding role. I commend him to you.

MANAGING DIRECTOR - 2013

Mark is a tenacious and experienced railway manager with extensive experience in managing large organisations in an extremely demanding environment; delivering 21st Century train services with (sometimes) life expired equipment against the backdrop of a rail network that is busier now than at any time since the 1940s and with extremely high and climbing expectations from the public, government and the Rail Regulator.

PROFESSIONAL HEAD OF ENGINEERING - 2013

Mark helped the UK's first high-speed railway transition from a project to successful operations. Starting from scratch, Mark led the Strategic Planning function to create a plan that enable the maintenance of the new railway, involving possessions, rail plant, works trains and operations. Mark achieved this very successfully, laying the foundations of a strategic planning regime that is still in place today, some ten years on.

HEAD OF HR - 2011

Mark is detail focused, and commercial. I supported his team in Balfour Beatty Rail and to be honest he was one of the star performers in the business. He is reliable, and honest, gets the job done and drives teams to deliver, he keeps close to his customer and anticipates their needs. As a person, he is bright, and a joy to work with. I heartily recommend him.

No hesitation in working with Mark again.

PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR - 2011

I always found Mark to be a very customer focussed, hard-working, a can-do leader who gave his utmost commitment to delivering a more reliable railway.

CLIENT - 2008

I worked with Mark in Network Rail as his counterpart in another part of the business. I was impressed at the way he galvanised his people to work on the key issues and the way in which he communicated successes to stakeholders.

PROFESSIONAL HEAD OF ENGINEERING - 2008

Over the two years that I have worked with Mark, I have found him to be a very honest, dependable and hardworking individual who takes pride in his achievements. These attributes were best demonstrated when he was presented with the very difficult challenge to steer a failing depot towards success, whilst improving client relationships and perception. Mark's tenacity to lead his depot delivery teams and give them the confidence to achieve a successful outcome, whilst building a rock-solid relationship with the client, was second to none. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Mark and look forward to doing so again in the future.

HS1 COLLEAGUE - 2004

I worked with Mark on the CTRL Project, and I would recommend him without hesitation.

Mark was a first-class Planning Manager with excellent leadership skills and a solid understanding of delivering works safely at both strategic and delivery levels. Mark created and led a successful planning team on the Project and into the maintenance phase.

Mark is a real professional and a superb asset to any management team. Mark is a great guy and team player; I would have no hesitation in working with Mark again.

AREA ENGINEER - 2001

Mark was a direct report to me when we worked for maintenance in Balfour Beatty and we worked together again heading up different maintenance units in Network Rail. Mark is a very driven individual who will do his utmost to do the best for the company in a professional way keeping safety at the forefront of everything he asks of personnel. He is a good leader who will make difficult decisions.