10 MINUTES 10 QUESTIONS
This month Steven Knight meets UKRL’s managing director Mark Winter.
MARK Winter was a later-comer to the railway industry, having completed a law degree and then qualifying as a barrister. He then switched track to work in finance, and has held some very senior positions, including senior treasurer for Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank and Barclays Bank, and also head of funding and capital markets at Bradford and Bingley.
Along with fellow directors and shareholders, he invested in UK Rail Leasing (UKRL), which was established in 2013, having spotted the potential of the business. He now holds the position of managing director of UKRL and is fully focused on developing the businesses.
Although not a career railwayman, Mark’s enthusiasm has seen him lead the transformation of the business from one that was purchasing locomotives and associated railway vehicles and then leasing them to train operating companies in the UK and abroad, into the significant operation it is today.
The company is based at the former traction maintenance depot in Leicester, having initially taken on the lease of the then disused site from DB Schenker but acquiring the freehold in 2018. Under Mark’s leadership, the company is looking to expand and be at the forefront of providing engineering services and support to the rail sector.
Q. What was your first-ever job?
My first job was as a lawyer for an Iranian Bank in 1986, after graduating as a barrister. From there I joined Hill Samuel Bank, and then Barclays in structured finance supporting the execution of transactions. It was at Barclays that I morphed into banking, leaving behind the law. I had a number of finance roles ending up as group treasurer of Ulster Bank, part of the RBS group, during the banking crisis of 2008.
Q. Were you interested in trains before you joined the rail industry?
No, I had no real interest in the railway or trains prior to me setting up UKRL in September 2013.
Q. What attracted you to your final industry role?
I was approached by a friend of mine, well known locomotive preservationist Edward Stevenson, to set up a company to buy redundant Class 56s that were about to be scrapped. The plan was to return them to service and lease them out to freight operators.
We found ourselves a depot in Leicester and I formally left banking and took on the role of managing director to develop the business, despite knowing very little about the railway.
Q. What has been your biggest achievement?
Apart from growing the company to what it is today, providing livelihoods for a number of people, I would count the setting up of a proper four-year apprentice programme, where we have up to four apprentices at any one time. Through this scheme we are able to develop young people to give them the engineering skills for a career in the railway industry.
Q. …and the low point of your railway career?
Struggling with cash flow in the early years to enable us to keep paying our staff and our suppliers, along with trying to forge our way into what is a very restrictive market.
Q. If you were transport secretary for a day, what would you do to support or change the industry?
I would provide greater investment in supporting the growth of the rail freight market, particularly around electrification, which we are told is essential for the economy and the journey to net zero.
Q. How do you relax away from work?
I enjoy playing golf and walking with my family.
Q. What is your view on the current state of the railway industry?
The industry is confused about what it is challenged to deliver.
Q. …and where do you see the industry in 2050?
It will be an industry that is providing a modern, efficient and green freight transportation system that contributes to tackling climate change by taking the transportation of goods off the roads.
Q. Finally, is there something about you that you can share with us that our readers are unlikely to know?
I’m a semi-professional poker player.