Established in Australia in 1969, Speno Rail Maintenance Australia is now a leading railway maintenance specialist, delivering rail grinding, ultrasonic rail flaw detection, track geometry measurement and track inspection services across Australasia.

Headquartered in Perth and operating as part of the Swiss-based Speno International Group, the company designs and manufactures all of its specialised rail maintenance machinery in Western Australia, supporting major mining, freight and passenger rail networks.

Playing a crucial part in these operations is Speno’s valued workforce.

Chloe Keep, HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment and Quality) Superintendent, and Patrick Clifford, Project Superintendent, both started with the company at a young age. Here, they share their career journeys.

At just 17 years old, Keep applied for a junior administrator job at Speno fresh out of high school, with little knowledge of what rail maintenance entailed.

“When I started my career, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” she said.

“All I knew was, I didn’t want to go to university, so I applied for the position at Speno, and within a few days attended the interview. The day after that, Speno called me and asked if I could start the following Monday. And that was it, my rail journey began!”

Keep spent three years in administration before yearning for a new challenge.

“I spoke to Mark Green, who was the project manager for Speno on site in Karratha at the time,” she said.

“I told Mark that I wanted to get out on the machines, and he said: ‘Let’s do it.’ He organised for me to go out on a night shift and see how the machines work for the first time. And I just loved it.”

That experience ultimately led to Keep, at the age of 20, moving to Sydney and becoming Australia’s first female ultrasonic rail tester.

Now, more than a decade later at 28 years old, Keep has worked on almost every network across Australia, and she’s happy to have seen many more women in field-based roles at Speno.

“We’ve now got female rail testers in Karratha, and on our mainline grinders in Sydney, as well as on the machines over in Perth.

“Of course, we can always do better. It’s important for women to see that these roles are available and the opportunity is out there, but we all need to create a safe and inclusive environment in the rail industry that encourages and supports women to take up these opportunities.”

As a HSEQ Superintendent, Keep now oversees health, safety, environment and quality systems across Speno’s operations.

“It’s such a broad role,” she shared. “One day someone’s asking you about environmental regulations, and the next I’m looking after injury management.

“Then another day I’m out doing audits and inspections on the machines. I really enjoy the variety.”

Keep recently participated in the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Future Leaders program, which focuses on developing emerging leaders across the rail sector.

She said Speno is very supportive of her professional development and sponsored her to attend the course. Speno also sponsors initiatives such as the Next Generation Conference Scholarships for the annual Heavy Haul Rail Conference in Perth.

“The Future Leaders program has been great,” she said. “It’s given us the tools and connections to succeed and progress into leadership roles.

“I believe in moving away from dominant leadership styles and looking at more collaborative ways of doing things.”

Keep is currently expecting her first child and preparing for her next chapter as a mother. She’s grateful for the flexibility Speno is offering her when she returns from maternity leave.

“My managers have been incredibly supportive,” she said. “They said that if I want to come back to the same role I’m in now, I can do that, or I have the option to try something different.

“As I progress in my career, I want to continue to support more women in the industry, and for young leaders to challenge themselves and keep growing whilst we navigate the evolving industry.”

Her advice to other young people entering the rail industry reflects the mindset that has shaped her own career.

“Don’t be afraid to push yourself outside your comfort zone,” she said. “You might discover something you’re really good at.

“I never thought I’d end up in rail, but I’ve been on this journey for a decade now, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Like Keep, Patrick Clifford never intended to pursue a career in rail. The Gold Coast local joined Speno in 2011 at the age of 20, after completing an electrical apprenticeship with his father.

“A friend rang me and told me Speno was looking for electricians in the mines,” he said. “I took the plunge. My dad wasn’t too happy at the time, but he’s forgiven me now that it has worked out so well!”

At first, Clifford wasn’t sure whether he would like working for a larger company.

“I had only ever worked with my dad,” he said. “So, I wasn’t sure whether I would feel anonymous at a company like Speno. But from the start, it felt like a family. There was a real sense that everyone was a valuable part of the team.”

Over Clifford’s 15 years working for Speno, he has worked his way up the ranks through operational and leadership roles, with notable success establishing a new company contract in New Zealand.

“It was great to get the opportunity to live over there with my family,” he said. “Nowadays, I get to fly all around the world, promote the business, operate machines, and meet new people.”

When we interviewed Clifford, he had just returned from a trip to the United States, where he was demonstrating one of Speno’s innovative switch grinding machines.

“Switch grinding normally takes multiple hours, lots of people and a lot of downtime for a rail line,” he explained.

“With this machine, which we have designed and built in Australia, we’re doing the same job in 40 minutes. It’s incredible what Speno has been able to achieve.”

As Clifford reflects on how far he has come, he gives credit to the professional development opportunities Speno has given him. For example, some years ago, Speno sponsored Clifford to undertake advanced rail-wheel interface studies through Monash University, which greatly deepened his understanding of railway defects and asset performance.

“That course opened a Pandora’s box for me,” he said. “It changed how I understood rail and how I communicate with clients today.”

The Project Superintendent also took part in the ARA’s Future Leaders program, which he said is continuing to build collaboration and communication across the rail industry.

“The old way was often ‘This person has been here forever, so we just do what they say’,” he said. “Now it’s more about asking how we can improve things together as a team.”

Looking ahead, Clifford would like to move further towards client engagement and commercial leadership at Speno.

“I really enjoy the interface component between clients and Speno itself,” he said. “I think communication is one of my strengths and I would love to continue building on that.”

His advice to younger professionals entering the rail industry centres on networking and continuous learning.

“For me, having worked all the way across the business, I feel like I could call someone in any division and they would be excited to talk to me,” he said.

“Whenever you meet someone, you should be engaged and learn their name. No matter who they are or what their role is, they can teach you something.

“It’s about learning those little things from every person you meet, so you’re building yourself up along the way.”