New South Wales Government Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator

safe and reliable transport in New South Wales

• Home
• About Us
  • Contact Details
  • Corporate Plan
  • Organisational Structure
    • Key Personnel
    • ITSRR Advisory Board
  • Working for ITSRR
  • Education
  • Consultation and Coordination
  • Annual Report
  • Legal Panel
• Rules & Laws
• Media Releases
• Publications
• Statistics

1. Home
2. About Us
3. Organisational Structure
4. Key Personnel

Key Personnel

ITSRR Management

• Management Chart (98kb PDF)

Executive Management Team

Len Neist

Chief Executive

Len Neist (MSc, BE, MPD) was appointed Chief Executive in May 2009. He joined ITSRR as Executive Director, Rail Safety Regulation in June 2008.  Len is a senior engineering manager with extensive experience in strategic risk management, safety systems engineering, safety management system maturity assessment and incident investigation. 

Prior to joining ITSRR, Len was a member of the ITSRR Advisory Board and a Principal Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton responsible for their Assurance and Resilience business in this region. During his time with Booz Allen Hamilton he chaired a study into rail and bus passenger safety in the Sydney metropolitan area and was the program manager and specialist advisor to the Waterfall Special Commission of Inquiry. 

Len served in the Royal Australian Air Force as an aerospace engineer culminating in his final post as Director Airworthiness Coordination and Policy Agency for the Chief of Air Force. He is also certified as a Master Project Director and an ICAM lead investigator.

 

 

Natalie Pelham

Executive Director, Policy and Advice

Natalie Pelham (BSc, MSocSc, PhD) joined ITSRR as Executive Director Corporate Strategy in January 2004. Natalie's role changed a number of times during her 5 year appointment and in May 2009 she was appointed to the position of Executive Director Policy and Advice. Natalie has extensive experience in the management of safety regulation performing senior management roles in operations, strategy and reform. 

Natalie moved to the transport portfolio in 2003 to join the Special Project Team established by then Minister Costa to design and implement the new Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator. Prior to joining ITSRR, Natalie was a senior officer at WorkCover NSW and formerly a researcher at the University of Sydney in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

In 2006 Natalie received her PhD in public health specialising in public policy (regulation) for workplace health and safety. 

 

 

Simon Foster

Executive Director, Operations

Simon Foster (GradDipMangt and a Land and Engineering Survey Drafting Certificate) brings over 29 years of technical and management experience in rail covering track, fleet, operations, stations and communications. He was appointed as ITSRR’s Executive Director Service Reliability in April 2004 and became Executive Director Operations in May 2009.

Among his career highlights was assignment to the Office of Coordinator-General of Rail (OCGR) on its establishment in June 2000, where he was a member of the team responsible for overseeing final preparations for rail services for the Sydney 2000 Games. Following the Games he remained with OCGR and was subsequently part of the team advising Government on the establishment of what is now ITSRR.

Simon possesses a Graduate Diploma in Management, a Land and Engineering Survey Drafting Certificate, and in 1988 was awarded a Bicentennial Fellowship in Management (the equivalent of a Churchill Fellowship).

Simon has qualifications and current operational experience as a fireman on both steam and diesel locomotives on mainline operations. He is also qualified as an inspector of Permanent Way (track), as well as in the operation of diesel locomotives and in locomotive air brake systems.

 

Paul Harris

Executive Director, Corporate Services and Planning

Paul Harris (BCom) was appointed as Executive Director Corporate Services and Planning in November 2007 following his tenure as Director since 2004. He has extensive industry and public sector experience in corporate human resource and business services management roles.

Paul has been responsible for implementing significant workplace reforms at State Rail, the Ministry of Transport and ITSRR.