Laura Shoaf
Chair of Shadow, Great British Railways
In this episode of Intuitive Insights, Nina Lockwood is joined by Laura Shoaf, Chair of Shadow Great British Railways, to discuss the meaning of leadership, culture change and what a truly passenger-first transport system looks like.
Laura shares her unorthodox career journey – from early customer-facing roles in the US to senior leadership in UK public transport – and explains how curiosity, a commitment to public service and saying “yes” to opportunity have combined to shape her unique path.
Together, Laura and Nina talk through what good leadership truly means, why learning the right lessons from failure is a vital precursor to enduring progress and how empowering the people closest to passengers can inspire meaningful change across UK rail.
What you’ll learn in this episode
- Why careers don’t have to be straightforward to be successful
- How frontline roles shape customer experience and reputation
- The importance of honesty and clarity to effective leadership
- Why it takes more than slogans to drive real culture change
- What a passenger-first railway means in practice
- How lessons from failure can drive future success
