South West Area Council Members

	Lawrie Hall FIRO: Area Chairman E-mail: lorryandvan@goatcott.plus.com Lawrie is a founder member of the IRO and has over 40 years experience of railway operations in the UK and Australia, both at a local and strategic level. His recent posts included Railtrack/Network Rail Production Manager at Bristol and Cardiff. Before retiring from full-time employment in 2004, he was Regional Operations Standards Manager at Swindon. Now employed as a Principal Consultant by Lloyds Register Rail, Lawrie spends most of his time in signalling development, signal sighting, risk-assessment and training. For the last three years, he has been the Area Chair representative on the IRO Board.
	Colin Stanaway MIRO: Treasurer E-mail: colinstanaway2@aol.com Colin has worked in the rail industry for 35 years, mainly based in the Western sector covering various operating roles, including Powerbox Supervisor, HQ Signalling and Safety Inspector and Signalling Manager. He has also gained considerable experience in the areas of maintenance and major projects, with posts including Assistant Contracts Manager, Infrastructure Trains Manager, Assistant Project Manager - Cross Country Upgrade Programme, Rail Delivery Manager and Maintenance Project Manager. Colin returned to the operations fraternity in recent years as Senior Signalling Inspector and latterly as an Operations Risk Advisor. Colin has been a member of the IRO since its inception and a part of the South West Area Council for four years. Since retirement in 2010 Colin has offered independent operational advise to the national and heritage sector.
	Martin Bonnington MIRO: Council Member E-mail: Martin.Bonnington@firstgroup.com Martin is employed by First Great Western as a Train Service Controller for High Speed Services, having first joined the rail industry in 2007 as a management trainee on the FirstGroup Operations Management Training Scheme. He has since progressed to a number of project management roles within the company, including the introduction of loco hauled services. Following this, he was promoted to Area Operations Manager in the Westbury area. Subsequent roles included Duty Station Manager at Bristol Temple Meads and Area Operations Manager for the Bristol area. He is currently studying for the IRO Degree in Railway Operational Management.
	Andrew Dickinson MIRO: Student Liaison E-mail: Andrew.Dickinson@firstgroup.com Andrew joined First Great Western in 2006 as part of the FirstGroup Graduate Training Scheme. On completion of the scheme, he worked on a Customer Information During Disruption Project, before moving into his current position as Station Manager for the Slough area. Andrew is studying for the IRO Degree in Railway Operational Management. As part of his role with the IRO’s South West Area Council, Andrew is student representative for the area.
	Nick Edwards MIRO: Secretary E-mail: nicolas.edwards@dbschenker.com Nick has over 30 years operational railway experience, having started out with British Rail as a Driver’s Assistant, before progressing to Driver and Traction Inspector. He has also worked as Traincrew and Operations Manager and Deputy Regional Manager and is currently employed as Operations Standards Manager for DB Schenker (formerly EWS), where he is also the Royal Train Officer. Nick is involved in all aspects of operations and is also involved with managing and developing Channel Tunnel freight standards for DB Schenker. Having risen through the grades, Nick firmly believes in staff development in railway operations – until the advent of the IRO, something that was seldom open to many staff. He is also a strong supporter of the opportunity for staff to be able to develop through the IRO.
	Clive Fletcher-Wood OBE Hon FIRO: Council Member E-mail: southwest@railwayoperators.org Having held school holiday jobs as a telephone enquiry clerk at Waterloo and Junior Porter at Hook, Clive Fletcher-Wood returned to the railway in his second-career as a lawyer. As a partner in Burges Salmon, he concentrated on railway law, especially at an operational safety level (Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield, Potters Bar, Ufton Nervet). Clive has also dealt with contractual disputes including network change and judicial review applications and is an IRO Tutor in Safety Law and Management, Railway Business Organisation and Railway Operating Principles.
	Chris Prior BSc (Hons), MILT, FIRO: Events Co-ordinator E-mail: chris.prior@firstgroup.com Chris is Control Centre Manager for First Great Western based in Swindon. He first joined the rail industry in September 1992 as an Operations Management Trainee in Doncaster, with later roles including Traffic Supervisor (Controller) and Freight Service Manager. Following the creation of EWS in 1996, Chris then worked in a variety of performance management, control and project management roles, all based in Doncaster. Highlights included a year on secondment to Wisconsin Central in the United States and project managing EWS’s input to the construction of High Speed 1. Chris has been a member of the IRO since its formation and from 2007 until late 2008 was the Secretary for the IRO North East Section.
	Matthew Lee: Council Member E-mail: Matthew.Lee@firstgroup.com Matthew is currently employed by First Great Western as a Project Manager, having first joined the industry as a Management Trainee on the First Group Operations scheme in 2008. He progressed from the Graduate scheme to Duty Station Management and is now seconded to the Projects department working on major possession strategy. He is also studying for the IRO Degree in Railway Operational Management as well as mentoring several current Management Trainees.
	Paul Stanford MIRO: Council Member E-mail: paul.stanford@networkrail.co.uk Paul Stanford has worked for the railways for over 25 years, starting with front line customer contact in the travel centre, moving through train and engineering planning, accident investigation and then area operations management. Latterly at area operations level he was an area Operations Manager responsible for 25 signal boxes and staff therein, ensuring the day to day delivery of the railway to passenger and freight customers. Presently, he is responsible for the commercial relationship with one of Network Rail's largest customers. For the majority of the last 10 years he has worked in customer facing roles, predominantly in the rail freight business, playing a part in growing that business and helping take lorries off Britain's roads. In his spare time he works on a standard gauge heritage railway as a Guard and Signalman and is Operations Inspector on a heritage line providing operations advice, rules examinations and staff assessments.