For Harsha Gautam, upgrading to Fellow was more than achieving a new membership grade. It was an opportunity to pause, reflect on more than a decade in railway operations and recognise just how much he had learned along the way.
Having spent his entire railway career with Heathrow Express, Harsha has progressed from frontline operations into increasingly senior roles, building experience across many different areas of the railway.
He began as a Duty Station Manager before moving into the Control environment as a Duty Operations Manager. He later progressed into a Contracts Manager role and now works as Train Services Lead.
In his current position, Harsha focuses on ensuring Heathrow Express delivers a safe, reliable and high-quality service for customers every day. His role involves working across operations, performance, safety, customer service and engineering, as well as with external partners including Network Rail, GWR and Heathrow Airport.
It is this variety that continues to make the railway so rewarding for him.
“What I love most about the railway is that no two days are ever the same. Every day brings new challenges, new decisions and new opportunities to learn.”
Harsha’s decision to apply for Fellow level initially came from a desire to reflect on his career and understand how his experience compared with the wider railway profession.
Like many railway professionals, he had spent much of his career concentrating on the next challenge rather than taking stock of what he had already accomplished. His Fellow application changed that.
Looking back across his experience in operations, performance, safety, customer service, fleet, contracts and strategic leadership gave Harsha a new perspective on his professional journey. More importantly, it helped him recognise how individual roles, projects and challenges had contributed to his development as a railway leader.
“What surprised me most was how much I learned about my own career while completing the application. It made me recognise how different experiences, projects and challenges had shaped my development as a railway leader.”
For Harsha, becoming a Fellow represents much more than adding a post-nominal to his name. It offers professional recognition from industry peers while demonstrating his commitment to continuous development and excellence in railway operations.
CIRO has also helped Harsha broaden his understanding of the industry beyond his immediate responsibilities.
One resource he has particularly valued is the POD framework, which encouraged him to view the railway as a whole system rather than solely through the lens of his own discipline. This helped him develop a greater understanding of how different parts of the railway interact and how decisions made in one area can affect another.
Industry events and networking opportunities have provided another valuable source of learning, giving Harsha the chance to hear from colleagues working across different operators, infrastructure organisations and disciplines. For him, learning how others approach similar challenges offers fresh perspectives that can be taken back into his own work.
Harsha has a simple message for CIRO members who may be wondering whether they have enough experience to take the next step: “My advice would be not to overthink it.” He believes people can underestimate just how much knowledge and experience they have accumulated throughout their careers, something he experienced himself.
The value of applying, he says, is not simply in being assessed. The process itself creates an opportunity to reflect on your professional journey and recognise the learning and experience you have developed along the way.
Harsha also found CIRO’s support valuable throughout his application, including when he received feedback from the panel. “The CIRO team are incredibly supportive and genuinely want members to succeed. Even when I received feedback from the panel, it was constructive and helped me strengthen my application.”
And his advice to anyone considering an upgrade is clear: “If you are considering upgrading, I would say go for it. You will probably discover you have far more experience and knowledge than you realise.”
Professionally, CIRO membership connects Harsha with a community that shares his passion for railway operations and commitment to improving the industry. Personally, being a CIRO member gives him a sense of pride.
He sees teamwork, professionalism and a shared commitment to safe and reliable services as fundamental to the railway, and values being part of an organisation that represents those principles. CIRO’s opportunities for learning, networking and sharing ideas are also important to him, particularly as the industry continues to evolve.
Harsha’s next ambition is to continue developing as a strategic operational leader and play an active role in shaping the future of railway operations in the UK.
He is particularly interested in how digital signalling, data-driven decision-making and greater integration across transport networks are changing the way the railway operates. He also sees the industry’s continued transition towards Great British Railways as an opportunity to bring the sector closer together, simplify interfaces and create a more joined-up railway for passengers.
His career at Heathrow Express has shown him first-hand the value of collaboration between operators, infrastructure managers and transport partners. Looking ahead, he believes this whole-system approach will become even more important.
Alongside his own development, Harsha wants to help others progress too. Reflecting on the influence that mentors, supportive leaders and experienced colleagues have had on his career, he hopes to give something back by supporting the next generation of railway professionals and sharing what he has learned. Above all, his ambition is to keep learning.
That same desire to learn underpins Harsha’s advice to anyone beginning a career in railway operations: “Stay curious and never stop learning.”
He encourages those starting their careers in railway operations to look beyond their immediate roles and build an understanding of areas such as engineering, control, performance, safety, customer service and planning.
He also encourages people to embrace frontline experience. Some of his most important lessons came from working directly with customers and responding to operational challenges in real time, experience that has continued to inform him throughout his career.
And just as importantly, he recommends investing in relationships. “The railway is a people industry, and some of the best learning comes from the people around you.”
Away from work, Harsha enjoys spending time with his family, which gives him an opportunity to switch off and recharge. He is also a keen tennis player and enjoys both the competitive side of the sport and the chance it provides to stay active and clear his head.
His enthusiasm for learning extends beyond his working life. Reading, professional development and exploring new ideas remain important interests, and he has continued studying and gaining qualifications throughout his career.
Travel is another passion, although the railway is never completely far from his thoughts. When visiting other cities or countries, Harsha often finds himself taking an interest in how their transport systems operate and how different operators respond to familiar challenges.
As Harsha puts it, “no matter how much experience you gain, there is always something new to learn and a different perspective to consider.”
Accelerate your career journey by upgrading your CIRO membership. Find out how, and take the first step here: https://www.ciro.org/upgrade-your-membership/
