Toufic Machnouk is Director, Industry Partnership for Digital Railway where he is leading a pioneering cross-industry partnership to create and deliver the next generation railway enabled through digital train control technology.

This represents a once in a generation modernisation of the UK railway to a safer, higher performing, more resilient, more efficient, better skilled, more productive, and greener railway, delivering passenger benefits in the areas of safety, punctuality and resilience, and taxpayer benefits in the areas of reduction in infrastructure unit and whole life costs.

The first major programme is on the east coast mainline, a primary economic artery in the UK, which has established an innovative user centric industry and commercial partnership model that is the vanguard for digital train control technology deployment on the UK national railway network.

Having started his career in infrastructure operations, he went on to deliver major projects and programmes. His teams have been recognised for breakthroughs in safety performance, innovation, industry and supplier collaboration, and successfully delivering complex cross-industry change, receiving prestigious national awards.

He is passionate about open innovation and the opportunities of user centric design thinking, speaking at universities and colleges, and mentoring people from across the industry. He holds a degree in Engineering Design and an executive MBA from the University of Bath. He was awarded the prestigious Collaborative Leadership Award by the Institute for Collaborative Working.