John Geary’s professional journey began in financial services, working in a NatWest call centre while at university. He progressed into leadership roles and eventually became a Branch Manager in a highly sales-driven environment.
Yet, what stood out most to him wasn’t sales performance; it was serving customers. Supporting customers through major life decisions, managing finances, moving home, or starting a business, this became the most rewarding part of his work. That focus would go on to define his entire career.
Driven by a strong sense of public service, John made the move into the rail industry as an Area Station Manager. The transition was not straightforward. Entering a new sector required adapting to a different culture, building new skills, and developing as a leader in a complex operational environment.
Those early challenges proved formative. They helped him build resilience, broaden his perspective, and gain a deeper understanding of the many moving parts that make a railway successful, from operations and safety to leadership and customer experience.
John later joined the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) as a Customer Manager, where he led station teams and Customer Service Hosts team. Over time, he progressed to Head of Train Services, taking responsibility for both operations and customer experience.
A standout moment during this time was the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the DLR serving the majority of venues, John was part of the leadership team that delivered a 99% on-time railway during the event. It was a unique moment, with the railway playing a central role in a nationwide celebration.
In 2015, John joined MTR Elizabeth Line, motivated by a long-standing ambition to be part of the Elizabeth line project. Having seen Canary Wharf station develop and contributed to early integration work, he recognised the scale of its potential impact.
As Head of Customer Experience at MTR Elizabeth Line, he played a key role in mobilising and delivering the customer proposition through its phased opening. This involved building teams from the ground up, embedding culture, designing training programmes, shaping communications, and introducing new trains and infrastructure into service.
Following 11 years at the Elizabeth line, and from April 2026, John moved into a new role as Principal Consultant at ViaCerta Transport Consulting. This felt like a natural next step for him, an opportunity to apply what he’d learned over the past two decades in operational and customer experience leadership, to hopefully support the wider industry, getting involved in different projects as the railway evolves in the years ahead.
Upgrading his CIRO membership from Associate to Fellow was a considered decision. It provided an opportunity to reflect on his career, future direction, and how he could give back to the industry.
Having benefited from strong mentorship throughout his career, John now sees supporting others as an important responsibility. Achieving Fellow status provides both credibility and a platform to do this more effectively.
Completing a Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship further reinforced the importance of professional standards. Becoming a Chartered Manager and Fellow of CMI highlighted how professional recognition can support ongoing development and contribution to the profession.
John further reflected, “with all of this in mind, upgrading with CIRO felt like a natural step – giving back to the profession while continuing to invest in my own development. It really is a win–win, and the process itself is well worth the time and effort and gives a welcome opportunity to reflect on your career, where you might want to go next, and how to give back”.
Throughout his career, CIRO has played a consistent role in John’s professional development. Through webinars, events, and mentoring, it has offered opportunities to learn from others and gain perspective beyond his own organisation.
He has also found mentoring particularly rewarding, valuing the opportunity to support others using his own experience.
Next year, he’ll be guest speaking at the CIRO Connect training courses, contributing to the “Delivering Customer Services” element of the Professional Operators Development (POD) framework, which he’s really looking forward to.
For John, CIRO has been more than a membership body. It’s a professional community supporting both individual growth and industry-wide development.
John encourages those considering upgrading their membership to reflect on the level at which they are already operating.
He emphasises that there is rarely a perfect time, but the process itself is valuable. It creates space to reflect on achievements, learning, and future goals, something often overlooked in busy operational roles. “I spent no more than 15 minutes each day reviewing the POD framework and writing the application – it took a few weeks, but it quickly took shape”.
Importantly, he sees upgrading not just as recognition but as an opportunity to contribute more broadly, through mentoring, shaping standards, and supporting the profession.
For John, working in rail is about more than operations; it is about serving communities. The railway connects people to work, education, healthcare, and each other, making it a vital public service.
Professionally, it offers a wide range of opportunities across multiple disciplines, enabling continuous learning and development throughout a career.
Being part of a professional body like CIRO reinforces a shared commitment to high standards, collaboration, and public service, particularly at a time of significant industry change.
John explains that railway operations are complex, and no one understands it all straight away; we’re all still learning at every level. He advises taking time to understand the whole system, not just your own area, and to spend time on the frontline listening and learning from experienced colleagues.
He stresses the importance of keeping service at the centre of decision-making, with the railway ultimately existing for the public good.
John advises, “take opportunities as they come, learn from every role, and not be afraid of responsibility, growth comes through experience, including occasional setback”.
As he moves into consultancy, John remains focused on learning, contributing, and playing his part to make the industry continue to grow and be successful.
With the rail industry continuing to evolve, he aims to play a role in supporting its future success while broadening his own experience across new projects and environments.
Outside of work, John has a busy family life. He lives in Lincoln with his wife and their three energetic boys aged 11, 9, and 8, so life is rarely quiet and is full of energy and fun. The family is all Huddersfield Town supporters and season ticket holders, making match days a shared family experience.
He is also involved in his local church parish. His eldest son is fully engaged, while the younger two sometimes need a little more encouragement. For John, this involvement also provides a valuable opportunity to pause amid a busy professional and home life, offering time to reflect, reset, and be thankful.
Accelerate your career journey by upgrading you CIRO membership. Find out how, and take the first step here: https://www.ciro.org/upgrade-your-membership/
