Daniela Phillips

Specialist in EU railway legislation with previous experience working for the UK Office of Rail and Road and the European Railway Agency (ERA) as a national expert. Expertise in Interoperability and the authorisation process, as well as EU and domestic railway legislation and government policy.

This is my second stint working at Ricardo, which is a testament to how good a workplace it is!

I initially joined because I had spent my whole career working for governments (UK and EU) and wanted to try consultancy. I wanted diversity, interesting work and to be challenged. I’d been warned by others how tough consultancy life can be, horror stories of cutthroat companies that don’t care about you and work you to the bone.

However, I’d had dealings with Ricardo previously and heard good things about them – they weren’t the typical consultancy, had a great reputation, and everyone I met was super intelligent and knew their stuff.

I left for a couple of years to get some experience in a different area of consultancy, and when the chance came up to return to Ricardo to be the Lead Notified Body, I jumped at the opportunity. 

The main thing I love about my role is problem solving. I really enjoy the challenges that projects sometimes throw at me and going down a rabbit-hole of investigating legislation, standards and calling up people in the industry to make sure I get the best (and correct) outcome for our clients. The role is very collaborative and sees me working with our technical assessors and clients to try and resolve issues. 

I also really enjoy the business development aspect. Attending industry workshops, meetings, conferences and just getting out and about to meet clients and find out what their current hot topics are and what Ricardo can potentially do to help.

If I could sum up the culture of Ricardo I would say it’s collaborative and friendly. The people are reliable and interested in both you and the projects you’re working on, and happy to offer their advice and opinion when you need it. I always feel supported by my Line Manager who trusts me to do my job but is always there to support me if I need it. 

I enjoy spending time with my colleagues not just at work, but outside of work, going for office lunches, after work drinks and even a trip to the races!