Laura Wright

• Strategy development (general)
• Rail policy development
• Transport policy development
• General policy development and positioning
• Strategy and policy positioning and advocacy (public affairs)
• Facilitation – strategy workshops, planning workshops
• Training, strategy skills, how to be more strategic, building a strategy
• Responding to consultations including government consultations
• Engaging with Parliament
• Engaging with Bill development

London School of Economics and Political Science 2002-2005

• LLB Law, 2:1

University of Warwick Business School, 2008-2010 and 2011-2012

• Post-Graduate Award in Business Leadership
• Continuous Professional Development Award in Frontline Leadership

Association of Project Managers

• Introductory Certificate

Forton Group

• Coaching for Leadership Certificate

Laura was a highly committed team member, able to get her head round the full vision for the project and complex policy issues, as well as inputting strategically to shape our direction.

– Senior Leader GBRTT

We asked Laura to facilitate a workshop on a challenging topic with no obvious right answers and where we knew different attendees felt strongly as well as having commercial interests, so there was acceptance going into it that we might fail to reach consensus or even have some outright conflict. Thanks to Laura’s planning of the session, however, we were able to work through the problem together, gradually building shared objectives, views on options and prioritising what worked and didn’t. With all parties having the opportunity to feed in and the process itself offering clear steps towards a positive outcome, surprisingly, we were able to reach an agreement which everybody bought into.

– Director, Fuels Industry UK

I found Laura highly professional and expert in her subject matter. She was fun and easy to work with and I would recommend her as a consultant.

– Founding Partner, Strand Partners

Case studies:

• Trainline: Currently providing support to the Government Relations team including navigating the Railways Bill.
• Suffolk County Council: Leading the re-write of the Suffolk Rail Prospectus with the aim of creating a compelling narrative for rail development in the County.
• West Midlands Rail Executive: Providing analysis of the Railways Bill, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within it as well as making recommendations for engaging with both Houses of Parliament as the Bill progresses. Supported Transport Select Committee appearance preparation.
• Network Rail: Worked with Network Rail to deliver strategy training to access planners. Training supported mixed-level teams to be more strategic in their thinking, be confident in owning strategy and use strategic and systems thinking in prioritising and managing operational duties.
• Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE): Supporting GCRE’s business case, provided policy analysis linking the UK political and policy landscape to GCRE’s aims. Devised a new way of presenting policies that either supported GCRE’s business case or demonstrated value for investment.
• West Midlands Rail Executive: Provided strategic advice on how a Combined Authority can make the most of the opportunities arising from legislative change in the rail industry including lessons learned from models around Europe. Provided qualitative and quantitative analysis on comparator models to allow the client to make multi-million-pound strategic decisions.
• Eversholt Rail: Project manager for a group of consultants providing advice on European market entry for the rolling stock provider. Provided strategic advice on the legislative context and how the law can drive demand for new passenger services.
• Interim Policy Director, ACE/EIC: Created a legacy for the organisation to enable them to deliver by establishing new strategic and operational structures including developing a board-level strategy, a policy and public affairs strategy and delivery plan, improved member meeting governance and a new strategic public affairs group. I delivered consultation responses, correspondence to Ministers as well as providing strategic policy advice.
• Fuels Industry UK: Designed and facilitated a workshop to enable FIUK’s board-level members to agree a common nomenclature for alternative fuels to improve their ability to influence MPs and Ministers. Successfully enabled a diverse group of companies to agree a single name and feel fully bought in to the decision-making process.
• Argentinian Government: Working with the UK Embassy in Buenos Aires, provided advice to the Argentinian Ministry of Transport on the privatisation of the rail freight network and the regulatory and legislative steps required to make this a success.
• Rail Freight Group: Devised and delivered an influencing strategy and campaign (Delivered by Rail Freight) for the 2024 General Election.
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Provided strategic advice on opportunities arising from rail reform including how legislation and regulation should be amended to maximise opportunities for devolution of rail specification powers.
• Finnish Transport Ministry: Provided advice on the European regulatory framework, with a focus on access to service facilities.
• Great British Railways Transition Team: Worked at the heart of rail reform acting as stakeholder engagement lead for the Legislation and Policy Team.
• ART (French Rail Regulator): Provided advice on other EU markets and the legal landscape on how it affects demand at rail maintenance depots.
• Logistics UK: Provided strategic rail freight advice including on net zero policy, taxation and relationship with the new Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT).
• Connect Communications & Strand Partners: Adviser two major public affairs and communications consultancies on the rail industry including ticketing, fares, passenger operations and reforms.
• UKPIA: Advised a major trade association on governance, reporting and policy management.
• Morgan Stanley: Guided clients on fares and ticketing reform and the attractiveness of the British rail market to private investors.

• Chair, Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership
• Judge for both the Rail Freight Group Awards and the Rail Business Awards 2026.
• Co-founder Strategy Lab, a forum for industry leaders to discuss transport strategy, policy and culture issues with the aim of being a catalyst for positive change in their day-jobs.

• Rail
• Transport
• Logistics
• Local government
• Trade associations

Laura has experience supporting organisations in becoming more strategic and has developed training modules to support teams broaden their strategic capabilities and develop their own strategies. Laura works with a culture change strategist to help embed change in organisations.

LinkedIn Profile Link:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawrightneesheppard/

Website Link:

Laurawrightstrategy.co.uk