Six people in the world of mobility were honoured at the European ‘Talent in Mobility’ awards presented on 2 October 2024 at the European Mobility Exhibition in Strasbourg; their initiatives reflect the wide range of approaches being taken across Europe to rethinking public transport. The Awards seek to honour women and men who are playing their part in developing public transport and sustainable mobility.
Five professionals chosen from a total of 44 candidates received awards for their skills, achievements and commitment to sustainable mobility, as recognised by a Jury* of journalists from the European trade press; the winner of a sixth award was chosen on the basis of an online poll. While the winners come from a range of different backgrounds, they all share the same vision: achieving smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive mobility. Their projects have spurred innovations addressing a host of challenges facing the sector: revolutionising rail infrastructure, incorporating AI in passenger traffic management, striving for greener mobility, improving training, and establishing better management practices to encourage inclusiveness and supportive working environments; the winners also bear witness to the spirit of innovation that pervades the mobility industry.
Winners of the 2024 European ‘Talent in Mobility’ awards:
- Best young talent: Rémi COULAUD, Head of Datalab’ Mass Transit, SNCF Voyageurs – Transilien
Rémi (28) used his expertise in Data and Artificial Intelligence for Mass Transit mobility to prepare SNCF for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with he and his team designing passenger traffic monitoring tools to help with the organisation of this world-class event. - Best project manager; joint winner: Fiona GUTHERIE, HR Director & Deputy Managing Director – RATP Dev Transit London
Fiona ran the ‘Garage Life’ programme, an innovative training initiative for bus drivers that has significantly reduced dropout rates by creating a greater sense of comradeship in the workplace. - Best project manager; joint winner: Xavier GRUZ, Eole Project Director – SNCF Réseau
Xavier has headed up the Eole project since 2012, rising to the technical and human challenges posed by the express metro RER E line extension, a huge undertaking destined to transform mobility in Île-de-France. - Best manager: Jean-Bruno DELRUE, Chairman – MESEA
Jean-Bruno is head of the Southern Europe Atlantic high-speed rail line (LGV SEA); he has turned MESEA into a European benchmark in rail maintenance, achieving high levels of operational, environmental and human excellence. - Special career service award: Claudio PUZZUOLI, Technical Director – SOLEA
Having worked for SOLEA for over 35 years, Claudio has contributed to progress in transport network maintenance, embodying human values and a spirit of innovation acclaimed throughout the industry.
- Web users’ award: Louis ROMA, Head of Train Renovation & Modernisation – Masteris
With 20 years’ worth of experience, Louis is now heading up the huge renovation programme for France’s TER regional train fleet, which aims to extend rolling stock lifespan and reduce its environmental footprint.
Once again, the 2024 edition of the European ‘Talent in Mobility’ awards demonstrates that the future of public transport is grounded in innovation, cooperation, and commitment on the part of the professionals working on the ground. The winners’ ambitious projects and sense of vision contribute to creating more sustainable, inclusive, high-performance mobility for future generations.
*The panel 2024
- Annika EGLOFF-SCHOENEN, Nahverkehrspraxis, Germany
- Marie-Hélène POINGT, Ville rail & Transports, France
- Luis GOMEZ-LLORENTE, Viajeros, Spain
- Robert JACK, Passenger Transport, United-Kingdom
- Riccardo SCHIAVO, Autobus, Italy
- Marcel SLOFSTRA, OV magazine, The Netherlands
