What Moves Us
by whatmovesus
What moves us? Transport experts Johannah Randall & Liam Henderson discuss the human side of transport. Looking at the impact of various transport decisions and seeing where policy has got us today.
Episodes
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What Moves Us - Small Voices Big Impact
In this special episode of What Moves Us, Liam Henderson, Chair of the Rail Innovation Group, is joined by Head of Initiatives Deb Carson to mark the group's tenth anniversary and the launch of its report, Small Voices Big Impact: 10 Years of Innovation. The report gathers a decade of insight…
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What Moves Us: The People Business
In this episode Johannah and Liam are joined by Karen Camilleri, Founder and Managing Director of Camilleri Appointments. The Rail Innovation Group spends most of its time on how new ideas and technology reach rail. Karen works on the other half of that question, the people. She has recruited...
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What Moves Us: Your TickEat to Growth
In this episode Liam Henderson and Johannah Randall are joined by Heerum Fleary, founder of TickEat and one of the Rail Innovation Group's newest members. Helping smaller businesses find their way into rail is the heart of what the Rail Innovation Group does, most often with digital and…
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What Moves Us - From Founders to Forests
This episode of What Moves Us welcomes Gregory Meyers, founder of TreeStock and the Rail Innovation Group's newest member. TreeStock builds digital twins of individual trees, using applied AI, lidar drones and satellite imagery to capture species, health, biomass and timber volume across whole...
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What Moves Us - 2025 Look-back
Our year-end episode brings the team together for a quick look back and a clear look ahead. We reflect on how the Skills Beyond Scale work shaped 2025, and we revisit highlights including the Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge and a growing, engaged community. We outline plans for 2026: a...
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What Moves Us - Building, Not Boasting: Rail Live Download on Data, UX and Interoperability
Liam is joined by friend of the pod, OpenTransport Initiative's Hayden Sutherland, to unpack three fast-moving themes from Rail Live in Madrid. They compare what was promised on stage with what is actually being built, digging into where agentic AI is useful, where it struggles with complex,...
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What Moves Us - Looking Forward to the Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge
In this episode, we sit down with Chris Jones from Heathrow Express—the team behind the 15-minute airport express—to hear how they’re throwing open the doors to new suppliers. Heathrow Express is inviting startups and SMEs to help solve three real-world challenges: easing the pain of staff travel...
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What Moves Us - Recording Your Mobile calls for safety-critical rail comms: what changes in March and how to get ready
In our latest episode, Johannah and Liam are joined by Rail Innovation Group member Pipcall's Johan Gericke and end user Miles Allcock. We dig into the upcoming requirement for trackside verbal communications to be recorded across the supply chain, not just by Network Rail control rooms. Johan...
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What Moves Us - Interview with Tara Walsh: Navigating Innovation Inside Network Rail
In this episode, we speak with Tara Walsh, Project Manager for the Innovation Acceleration Forum within Network Rail’s Capital Delivery team. Tara shares how the Forum helps streamline the path from promising idea to practical adoption: supporting innovators with open conversations, clear…
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What Moves Us – Innovation Beyond the Lightbulb Moment
In this episode, Johannah and Liam speak with Philip Pozzo di Borgo-Oliver, Managing Partner at Eureka!Europe, a consultancy that helps organisations build the internal capability to innovate—whether they're early-stage start-ups or established corporates. We explore the journey from idea to...
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What Moves Us: Why Absence Isn’t Always Sickness
In this episode, we speak with Antonio Ribeiro, CEO and Founder of Yurtle, a care-tech startup born from his personal journey as a caregiver. Antonio shares the story behind Yurtle’s creation: a platform designed to support employees when their usual care arrangements with a registered provider,...
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What Moves Us: Mind the Gap – Where Rail Needs to Innovate
What Moves Us – Episode 5: Mind the Gap – Where Rail Needs to Innovate In this episode, we explore the innovation gap in rail and ask: will technology meet changing passenger expectations? As behaviours shift, so do the demands on service delivery - but who has the oversight, authority, and...
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What Moves Us: Is Now the Moment for Start-ups to Supply into Rail?
In this fourth instalment of our How to be a Start-Up in Rail series, we dive into the critical material that start-ups need to navigate the rail sector: the challenges, the opportunities, and why there’s never been a more exciting time to get involved. We ask the big question: Is now the moment...
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What Moves Us: Skills Beyond Scale
In this episode, Deb, Johannah, and Liam discuss the Rail Innovation Group's latest research report, Skills Beyond Scale, which explores the skills landscape within our vibrant community of startups and small digital companies. They highlight the crucial role our members play in driving…
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What Moves Us: Shaping the Future of Great British Railways
In this episode - the second part of our discussion on the Great British Railways (GBR) foundation consultation, A Railway Fit for Britain's Future) - Liam and Johannah explore their response, breaking down key implications for start ups and innovators in the rail sector. We delve into how...
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What Moves Us - How to be a Start Up in Rail - Intro
With the launch of the consultation on the foundation of Great British Railways (A Railway Fit for Britain's Future), we kick off a special series exploring a key question: how to be a start up in rail? Or perhaps more importantly - would you even want to be one? In this episode, Johannah and…
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What Moves Us - Employer Branding with ThinkinCircles
In this episode, Deb Carson and Liam Henderson speak with James Whitelock, Managing Director of ThinkinCircles, about the power of employer branding and how companies can better attract and retain the right talent. As we prepare for our upcoming Skills Beyond Scale report, this conversation is...
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What Moves Us - In Conversation with Legal Pythia
In our first episode of 2025, hosts Liam and Johannah kick off the year with an exciting conversation about innovation, challenges, and growth. Joining them are Jeremy Bormann, CEO, and Raymon Ceasar, Head of R&D at Legal Pythia, a cutting-edge startup leveraging AI to detect fraud in documents…
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What Moves Us - Predictive Maintenance with Predge
In this episode, Jesper Westerberg, Chief Product Officer at Predge, shares insights into the role of predictive maintenance in the rail industry. We discuss how data-driven solutions are transforming maintenance strategies, reducing costs, and improving reliability. Jesper highlights real-world...
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What Moves Us at InnoTrans 2024
Deb, Johannah & Liam reflect on their experience at InnoTrans 2024, where the world of rail meet in Berlin for networking, demonstrations, conversations and more. We were pleased to see many members of the Rail Innovation Group present to promote how small companies can supply great solutions to...
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What Moves Us: Atmo Technology
In this episode Johannah & Liam are joined by Guy Barkley, CEO and Founder of Atmo Technology - our newest member! To celebrate this new partnership, Guy joined the pod to discuss Atmo’s environmental capabilities and the impact they aim to achieve in the rail industry. This podcast delves into…
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What Moves Us - Small Voices Expanding Horizons
In this episode, Johannah, Deb and Liam discuss the first steps taken by the new UK Government to improve and integrate the transport system. With reference to the bills proposed in July 2024's King's Speech. We cover our hopes and anxieties of the new, more comprehensive public transport...
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What Moves Us - Our Five Year Anniversary!
It's been five years since Johannah and Liam began the podcast. In this episode, they reflect back on some of the milestones from the period, including diverging transport policy in the nations of Britain; the developing - and redeveloping - policy environment; and the impact of all this change…
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What Moves Us: Policy, Diversity & Skill
In today's episode Johannah, Deb and Liam discuss the UK Labour party's proposed rail policy (sounding a little familiar) as well as Johannah's recent trip to the Transport Research Arena conference in Dublin. We also cover whether AI will fool us with its simulated feelings and whether data is...
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What Moves Us - RIA Innovation Conference 2024
Johannah is flying solo in this episode and had the incredible opportunity to attend the Railway Industry Association's Innovation Conference in Wales, where it was a whirlwind of excitement! From keynote speeches to tech talks, exhibitor spotlights, and more, there was never a dull moment. In…
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What Moves Us - Rail Scotland
In this episode, Johannah gives her thoughts on last week's Rail Scotland Conference. Listening in, Liam is joined by friend of the podcast Deb Carson to hear about the conference's themes of climate resilience, passenger experience on an integrated railway and decarbonisation of the rolling…
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What Moves Us: PassageWay
Liam Henderson & Johannah Randall speak with PassageWay's Chris Johns (10:30) to hear about their realtime digital signs placed in communities to help users understand, interpret and act on multi-modal transport information, displayed in a human-centred way. With references to Nudge Theory,...
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Are We Using Data to Inform Climate Resilience Investment
There's an international flavour to the discussion between the Rail Innovation Group's Deb, Johannah and Liam today covering key themes of 2024, and what we've been asked to provide insight on: notably, using data to inform climate resilience and mitigation measures - are our current investment...
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What Moves Us - Edging Into 2024
For our 1st episode of 2024, Johannah, Deb & Liam discuss potential key themes of the year ahead (politics, politics & politics). Plus, Liam spoke with Jude Hough, an Innovation Growth Specialist at Innovate UK Edge to hear about the support available for startups through the organisation. They...
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What Moves Us: Network Rail Accessibility
Liam & Johannah speak with Natasha Marsay, Network Rail's Accessibility and Inclusion Policy Lead, to hear about the good work being undertaken to enable autonomy for customers: including a chat about how inclusivity means more than just providing level access; trying to balance all the needs of...
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What Moves Us. Interview with John Lawrence
In this episode Liam spoke with friend of the Rail Innovation Group, John Lawrence. With a history of bringing innovation into rail from both within and without rail, we talked about his experience with signalling, corporate constraints, mentorship and even the waves of (innovation) change. Plus...
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What Moves Us: Innovation & Collaboration with S&B
Liam & Johannah discuss the current uncertainty on national rail's future, including asking who benefits from Scotland's off-peak all day trial. Plus Liam speaks with Ben Jones, Business Development Manager at S&B (09:45), to ask him of his experience working within a larger supplier - what are...
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What Moves Us - Window Seater
We spoke with Window Seater's Marcus Allender on the origin of the journey guide app, from the French countryside to helping Gail the Goose find her hat! We hear how the developers have sought to respond to an industry need to improve journey experience, bringing diversity of voices into the...
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What Moves Us - GCRE
Liam & Johannah catch up after the summer to discuss the Rail Innovation Group's plans for autumn, plus Liam speaks with GCRE's Director of Strategy and Skills, Rob Forde, (at 17:20) to hear about the exciting plans for the massive Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE), including opportunities...
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What Moves Us: Culture at Eurostar
We speak with Eurostar's Jon Witt to discuss how the diversity of cultures in the organisation help Eurostar to build a virtuous circle of attracting great staff to deliver great services. We discuss the merging of Eurostar and Thalys cultures, hearing how people across both organisations are...
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What Moves Us: Interview with CrossTech
In this episode Liam speaks with CrossTech's Haydon Bartlett-Tasker, discussing all things algorythms, analytics, gardens and collaboration, as well as the challenge of being an SME in the rail industry: iteration is the name of the game! Don't worry, we do end with positive message on the future.
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What Moves Us: Funding Innovation
Remarkably, the Rail Innovation Group's Deb, Johannah & Liam are all in the same room, in the same city so we had to take the opportunity to have a discussion on the latest news from the world of GB rail, as well as to have a deep dive into our recently published paper, Improving the Innovation...
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What Moves Us: In Conversation with East West Rail
In this episode Liam Henderson & Deb Carson spoke with Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain of East West Rail to discuss the role of innovation in the wider railway project, as well as the opportunities created by this unique project to deliver services across a range of communities. Daisy shares her…
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What Moves Us: Signapse
Liam speaks to Ben Saunders of Signapse about the use of information in sign language using AI at some National Rail stations. We discuss how the photo-realistic avatars convey key details of audible announcements, how to sign unusual stations, how passengers have interacted with the technology,...
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What Moves Us: Mobility in Rural Areas, Innovation Funding
Johannah & Liam chat on whether future mobility has made it into rural areas, plus we introduce our new thought piece on funding innovation which looks at the different measures of success between the public & private approach to innovation project funding - is there an opportunity to change the...
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What Moves Us: GoodMaps
In this episode Liam speaks with Neil Barnfather MBE, Chief Commercial Officer of GoodMaps. They discuss the application of the wayfinding technology in the GB rail context, realising the benefits of enabling self-led journeys through railway station and other interior environments using only…
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What Moves Us Bonus: Interview with Mike Butler, Nomad Digital
This bonus episode provides the extract of the interview we recently had with Nomad Digital's Mike Butler to discuss how they are working to innovate through building on existing platforms, and their advice for smaller companies - don't be afraid to collaborate! nomad-digital.com
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What Moves Us: New PM & New Policies
In this episode Liam, Johannah & Deb get together to discuss the new, new government. What do we hope for in upcoming policy announcements and how do we hope the true value of investment will help to spread opportunities around the country. Plus, we have an interview with our member Nomad…
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What Moves Us: Framing Your Benefits
Johannah & Liam discuss the topic of the most recent Rail Innovation Group Meet Up held to discuss the Network Rail R&D Benefits Framework. They cover the implication of the decision to delay the transition to Great British Railways (GBR) and how the continued uncertainty is affecting small...
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What Moves Us - Our Review of InnoTrans 2022
In this episode Johannah, Deb & Liam discuss this year's InnoTrans in Berlin. At this biannual trade fair bringing the global rail industry together we look back at our impressions of how a general mood of uncertainty was influencing companies' and governments' investment plans, as well as their...
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What Moves Us - Our Work in 2022
In this podcast Liam, Johannah & Deb get together to discuss our plans for a study into innovation funding, how apprentices can support diversity within larger companies, as well as an exciting update on our Parcels as Passengers workstream!
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What Moves Us: Supporting Decision Making with Amygda
In this episode Johannah & Liam were joined by Faizan Patankar of (relatively) new rail industry entrant, Amygda, to hear about how the company has found their entry into the rail sector, having previously worked in aviation. We discussed the how the company had to 'learn the language of rail' to...
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What Moves Us: 2021, The Year of Decisions?
In this episode Johannah, Liam & Deb Carson review the implications of the multiple infrastructure announcements made during 2021. Discussing the knock-on effects to the image of rail in the eyes of new suppliers, they consider whether rail will be an attractive market to SMEs who are now more...
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What Moves Us: Our Interview with Green Furniture Concept
Edited podcast featuring Johannah Randall & Liam Henderson's interview with Johan Berhin of Swedish company Green Furniture Concept. They discussed doing international business over the pandemic period. We hear how the company's mission to use natural design to improve place-making is enhance...
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What Moves Us: Green & Natural Furniture
In this episode Johannah Randall & Liam Henderson were joined by Johan Berhin of Swedish company Green Furniture Concept to discuss doing international business over the pandemic period. We hear how the company's mission to use natural design to improve place-making is enhance public spaces & how...