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Leading the people strategy for 42,000 employees, Holroyd is at the forefront of this monumental change - balancing the promise of progress with the risks of disruption. With the eyes of the industry upon her, Holroyd must navigate the complexities of organisational change while ensuring that the workforce remains motivated, resilient, and prepared for the future. The stakes couldn’t be higher - success could cement her legacy as a transformative HR leader, while missteps could derail one of the most significant public sector reforms in decades.
As Network Rail steps into its next chapter, Pauline Holroyd’s leadership will be critical in shaping not just the future of the organisation, but the very fabric of Britain’s railways.
‘I was going to teach but got a job in HR instead’
I ask her how it is that she is leading HR during one of the most significant moments in rail history. The short answer is through plenty of hard graft. “After Hull University the plan was to go to Japan and teach English, but I decided instead to do the milk round,” she says. The swerve away from teaching resulted in a position at Northern Foods as their Personnel Officer. It was 1985, the year the Live Aid concerts captured public attention.
“It was quite a controversial organisation – they sponsored the miner’s strike, and they were also quite ethical, extending job opportunities to rehabilitated offenders. I thought it was the type of employer I wanted to work for,” she recalls. The usual graduate rotations began offering six months of experience in every function – it was an exciting time too as the business acquired Express Dairies which led to industrial action – she didn’t know it then but dealing with the unions was to be a regular feature of her HR career.
People assumed I wouldn’t want promotion with two young kids, but motherhood made me more driven
“We were the only factory that avoided strike action, and it was that experience that affirmed my commitment to a career in HR, I knew then that you can impact people’s lives by the way you talk and engage with them,” she says.
In 1991 she joined Albert Fisher, another food company. “We won a National Training award and from there I went into the car industry with Tenneco Automotive – I was funded to do my MBA at Leeds University.” Amongst her many initiatives was suggesting that they stopped smoking on the production lines where carcinogenic oils proffered a health risk to employees. It was another business that faced constant industrial action, “They’d often strike in the afternoon. I set up a partnership with the trade union however and got Acas involved which was a great move because they helped us develop shared interest bargaining and problem solving. It was a transformational journey.” All the trade union agreements were re-written and frontline working groups together with quality circles were put in place.
‘Love won the day’
"Life took over," Holroyd recalls with a smile. Marriage in 1997 meant relocating to Hull, where she joined Kimberly-Clark - "Conveniently near home, with a nappy factory, perfect for starting a family," she laughs. Defying expectations, she secured the role while pregnant and took maternity leave before her first day.
Her ambition only grew after having children. "People assumed I wouldn’t want promotion with two young kids, but motherhood made me more driven," she says. Raised without financial privilege - "I was the child who missed school trips" - she returned to work just three months postpartum, even expressing breastmilk at the office.
A promotion to European HR Director moved the family to Reigate in 2001 - "It was like another continent after the north." But when asked to relocate to the US, she refused. "My parents had just moved south to help, and my husband stayed in Hull - we lived apart for our work for six years meeting as a family at the weekends."
