Leadership Update

Following four years in the role, we thank Alana for her contribution to SYSTRA ANZ and wish her well in her future endeavors.

With effect from 1 January 2026, Jonathan Herguais, currently Chief Operating Officer of SYSTRA ANZ, has been appointed to oversee the management of the business on an interim basis, while continuing in his role as COO. This arrangement is intended to ensure continuity of leadership and operations.

The EWC program is a national initiative that supports organisations to build and recognise engineering capability through professional accreditation. It provides a structured pathway for engineers to achieve formal recognition such as Chartered Engineer status, membership advancement, and Engineering Executive credentials. 

Through this partnership, SYSTRA will work closely with Engineers Australia to provide our people with tailored guidance, mentoring, and support as they progress through the program.  

Joining the EWC program reflects SYSTRA’s commitment to upholding our values and our continued investment in our people and their professional growth. 

We recognise that our people are our greatest strength and with the EWC program, we’re providing them with the opportunities needed to unlock their full potential. We’re also providing them with the skills to build a long and sustainable career.

Alison Scott, Chief People Officer at SYSTRA

The EWC program also assists to strengthen consistency, compliance, and recognition, enabling benefits such as greater workforce mobility and global recognition among others. It also enables organisations to adapt more easily to evolving regulatory requirements, which are expected to increase as Artificial Intelligence and other technologies become more widely adopted. 

Through partnering with Engineers Australia on the EWC program, we are giving our people, clients and partners confidence that our team can deliver the specialist engineering skills that are hard to find elsewhere.

Alison Scott

SYSTRA’s participation in the EWC program reinforces our commitment to delivering technically excellent and future-focused solutions across complex infrastructure projects. 

Learn more about our Pathways program here.

This industry-wide initiative aims to advance gender equity across the rail sector through shared commitments to fair recruitment, equitable opportunities, and inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive. As an early signatory, SYSTRA joins other leading organisations in pledging to create a rail industry that attracts and supports people of all genders. 

The Charter outlines five key commitments, those are: 

• We commit to fair and unbiased recruitment processes, to enable equal opportunity for candidates of all genders to start their career in rail. 
• We commit to offering all employees equitable opportunity for career development and leadership. 
• We commit to providing policy which supports and enables our gender equity commitments. 
• We commit to “walk the talk” of gender diversity and inclusion, with executive leadership support and engagement in diversity initiatives. 
• We commit to fostering a culture of inclusivity in the workplace, backing up our commitment with behaviours which make our employees feel valued and able to present their authentic selves. 

These commitments align closely with our own DEI Strategy and General Policy, which guide how we build connected, respectful and high-performing teams. 

 For us at SYSTRA, we are proud to be early signatories having long championed for the benefits of DEI. From inclusive policies to leadership accountability, our commitments are underpinned by our values and reflected by our people.

Alison Scott, Chief People Officer

As part of this commitment, we have already implemented the ARA’s Respect in Rail e-learning program as part of our training framework. 

Committing to the Rail Gender Equity Charter further demonstrates our leadership in fostering a culture of inclusion and respect, ensuring that diversity remains at the heart of how the company grows, innovates and delivers excellence for our clients and community.. 

For more information on the Rail Equity Charter, please find a link to the ARA Media release here. 

To learn more about SYSTRA’s commitment to DEI, please click here. 

It’s been one year since SYSTRA acquired Rail Systems Australia (RSA), a respected leader in engineering, signalling and telecommunications in the rail sector. This marked a pivotal milestone in our journey to expand our expertise and elevate our services in the Australian rail industry.

Key Achievements:

• Expanded technical capability: The RSA acquisition has strengthened our systems integration expertise, particularly in telecommunications and signaling design, positioning us as the partner of choice for Australia’s most complex rail programs.
• Strategic project wins: Our enhanced capabilities have seen us continue to provide the highest quality of service and reliability, maintaining the Sydney Trains Digital Train Radio network. We have also won new projects in Western Australia supporting our head contractor partners and positioned ourselves on major ETCS programs and future railway mobile communications initiatives both locally and abroad.
• Streamlined project delivery: By combining RSA’s local systems knowledge with SYSTRA’s global engineering excellence, we’ve delivered exceptional results on METRONET, More Trains More Services, and Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal projects.
• Market diversification: We’ve successfully expanded beyond traditional rail into emerging sectors including telecommunications networks for mining clients and digital systems for critical infrastructure.
• Operational integration: The integration has been completed efficiently, with approximately 80% of integration milestones achieved in just 10 months, creating a cohesive team ready to tackle Australia’s transportation challenges.

“The acquisition of RSA by SYSTRA has allowed us to leverage the incredible international expertise of SYSTRA to provide locally based teams to our clients for the integration of complex communications and signalling solutions.  The digitization of rail in Australia is gaining momentum and we are excited to be working with our clients on this transition.”

Tom Warner, EGM Systems, SYSTRA (former Managing Director, Rail Systems Australia)

The Future is Bright—Here’s What’s Next:

One year down, and we’re just getting started. The past year has been one of growth, innovation, and strengthened partnerships. As we celebrate this milestone, we remain committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients and leading the way in transforming rail across Australia.

As we step into year two, we’re primed to take on the next big thing. With enhanced capabilities and a wider reach, we’re ready to tackle even larger projects, lead the way in emerging technologies, and push the limits of rail innovation.

Key Content

• Experts' Insights

FRMCS: The Future of Radio Communications in railways

Read more

• News

26 March 2024

SYSTRA Completes acquisition of Rail Systems Australia

Acquisition announcement – Sydney, 27 March 2024

Read more

• News

28 November 2023

The role of data and technology in unlocking interoperability

An excerpt from our publication on Interoperability

Read more

Our Expanded Capabilities

The completion of the Rail Systems Australia acquisition occurred today and we are excited to welcome our new colleagues within SYSTRA ANZ.  

Following the conclusion of the Agreement announced in December 2023, 130 RSA employees have officially joined the SYSTRA ANZ business. This helps us bridge the East and West coast of Australia, expand our product offering to be the Systems Integrator of choice, and brings our team size to over 400 experts across our ANZ business.

RSA brings an impressive range of technical expertise in rail signalling, telecommunications, asset management and systems engineering. Their expertise in Future Railway Mobile Communication Systems (FRMCS) allows us to further champion interoperability and the modernisation of the rail network.

The acquisition of RSA comes after we recently marked the one-year anniversary of SYSTRA Bamser. We see this acquisition as a promising step forward in how we service the transportation and broader infrastructure market.

We look forward to the opportunities this acquisition will bring and are committed to providing the highest quality services to our clients. 

For more information about RSA, please head here.

If you want to get in touch on our growth trajectory, reach out to Alana Newbrook, CEO SYSTRA ANZ.

With over 20 years’ experience, Franck joins the business with deep expertise in financial leadership, management, and analysis. He brings transferrable knowledge in defence, cybersecurity, transport, and infrastructure projects with a demonstrated ability to deliver sound business strategy coupled with financial and operational success.

“We are lucky that we found Franck to support our business gear up for the next iteration in our growth and transformation. It was the perfect fit, with Franck bringing the desired corporate skills and big business background that we needed and an even happier coincidence to find he was a French national. Franck will be responsible for implementing new systems to set us up for long-term success and further expansions via acquisitions.”

Alana Newbrook, Chief Executive Officer, SYSTRA ANZ

Joining SYSTRA ANZ after nearly two decades with Thales, Franck’s expertise and understanding of project management, funds management, corporate finance, operations, and public contract negotiations will help the team grow whilst managing our productivity and delivering the best outcomes to clients.

“I’m excited to join a company that has such lofty ambitions. While we are quite young in Australia, we have had great success locally and bring a global reputation as the signature team for mobility projects.

I look forward to working with Alana, the Leadership Team and the finance group to ensure we hit our key targets and dominate the mass transit and rail market here, like we do abroad.”

Franck Leriche, Chief Financial Officer, SYSTRA ANZ

Originally from Paris, Franck has lived in Australia since 2004. He holds a Bachelors and Master’s degree in Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance & Strategy, and recently graduated from AICD. Franck is based in our head office in Sydney at Level 15, Chifley Tower Sydney.

Hit below to learn more about Franck.

• LinkedIn

“Joining SYSTRA was a big step for Bamser. The last year has been a real game changer as we expand our offerings and ability to bring global expertise to our local clients” commented Ben Crosby, Executive Director.

Jon Daley, EGM Infrastructure said “The synergy and complementary service offerings have provided a real benefit to both sides, positioning SYSTRA as a serious player both in ANZ and globally. It’s been fantastic working with our tunnelling design colleagues at SYSTRA India, SWS in Italy and Subterra in Spain and our people have enjoyed being part of a global tunnelling capability network.”

SYSTRA Bamser began sharing offices from day 1 in Melbourne, which was a real success for integration. Followed soon after by a merge into our Chifley Tower Sydney Head Office and finished  a few weeks ago coming together in a whole new office space in Ann Street Brisbane. The new Brisbane office is now suitably sized to soon welcome our RSA colleagues who will join the SYSTRA family imminently.

Alana Newbrook, CEO, SYSTRA ANZ said “It has been a big year for all of us as we have exponentially grown. What has been most rewarding to see is the multi-disciplinary teams working alongside each other and pitching for and delivering work that 1 year earlier, we wouldn’t have been invited to participate in. This extension of our capability and buzz in the office as we win new work makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

Tim Brown, Executive Director added “Being physically located together across ANZ has resulted in a number of wins for both staff and clients. The ability to bounce ideas off each other and to bring not only an expanded remit of local experience, but global best practice to the ANZ market has been a real step change. We cant wait to see what year 2 has in store!”

SYSTRA has signed an agreement to acquire Rail Systems Australia, an Australian company specialising in engineering, signalling and telecommunications in the rail sector. 

Rail Systems Australia was founded in 2017 in Perth and employs 130 people across offices in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. It specialises in rail signalling, rail telecommunications, asset management and systems engineering. 

This acquisition will enable SYSTRA to complete its range of services, not only for SYSTRA Australia and New Zealand (SYSTRA ANZ), but also for the Group as a whole. 

Australia is one of the most dynamic economies in the world, with a strong growth rate in transport infrastructure construction. In expanding skills and numbers in the systems integration space, at a time where the need for efficient, reliable, and adaptable infrastructure projects has never been greater, SYSTRA has reinforced its position as a key player in the sector, able to meet the needs of the region’s fast-growing rail market.   

SYSTRA is currently contributing to several major projects in Australia and New Zealand, including the Sydney Metro, the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP), NorthConnex, Newcastle Light Rail and Cross River Rail.   

As the infrastructure market continues to evolve, moving away from mega projects and placing increased focus on asset management, operations and maintenance, digital system upgrades and integration to futureproof our networks, SYSTRA ANZ is now poised to bring an expanded local team, backed by global best practice to deliver better, more sustainable and integrated public transport networks to the region. 

This is the second acquisition for this year, with SYSTRA ANZ acquiring Bamser, an Australian-based infrastructure consultancy renowned for its excellence in underground engineering in March. 

“The year 2023 got off to a good start with the acquisition of Bamser, which specialises in tunnel and underground infrastructure engineering, and is ending on a high note with the agreement signed with Rail Systems Australia. The integration of Rail Systems Australia into SYSTRA makes complete sense: we work in the same buoyant sector of railway engineering, and our skills naturally complement each other to offer a comprehensive service to our clients to meet their current and future challenges. More than ever, we are committed to strong growth in the Australian and New Zealand markets, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and partners, with whom we are moving forward with confidence. We look forward to welcoming new talent to Rail Systems Australia to continue the adventure together!” 

Alana Newbrook, Managing Director, SYSTRA Australia & New Zealand,

“We are delighted to announce this agreement with the SYSTRA Group, which has been our benchmark in the transport and mobility sector. This is a major step in our development and our combined expertise will serve the country’s ambitions in terms of transport: to promote safe and sustainable mobility for all.” 

Tom Warner, Managing Director of Rail Systems Australia

About Rail Systems Australia 

Rail Systems Australia is an independent rail engineering practice focussed on the integration of telecommunications, signalling and train control systems to deliver safer, more efficient, more reliable and more sustainable rail operations.  Rail Systems Australia works with rail operators across Australia and New Zealand in planning for the future and developing solutions to help navigate technological change. Rail Systems Australia’s talented engineers all share the company’s vision to make rail the preferred method of transportation. 

About SYSTRA 

SYSTRA is one of the world’s leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and mobility solutions. For more than 65 years, the Group has been committed to helping cities and territories to contribute to their development by creating, improving, and modernising their transport infrastructures. With its 10,600 employees, the Group’s mission is to make travel more fluid throughout the world in order to bring populations closer together and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure. The signature team for transport solutions, SYSTRA supports its partners and clients throughout the lifecycle of their projects.  

After completing its first project in Australia almost 20 years ago, SYSTRA opened its first permanent office in New Zealand in 2022 and continues to grow in both geography and headcount. 

systra.com

systra.com/australia

The MoC has been developed as part of the NTC’s National Rail Action Plan for the industry, operators and governments to consider interoperability when investing in the rail network, directly addressing long-standing legacy issues that continue to impact productivity and safety. 

First signed by Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Hon. Catherine King MP, Victoria’s Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Hon. Jacinta Allan MP and the Australasian Railways Association, the MoC has now been signed by all Australian state and territory governments and many rail operators and industry participants. 

This groundbreaking agreement marks a pivotal moment in the country’s transportation sector, with potential far-reaching implications for the efficiency and sustainability of rail networks. 

The MoC, signed at SYSTRA ANZ’s head office in Sydney, establishes a collaborative framework for the two entities to work together in achieving the shared goal of creating a more seamless and interconnected rail system in Australia. The partnership aims to address critical challenges such as standardisation, data sharing, and regulatory alignment, all of which are essential for the development of a modern, efficient, and sustainable rail network. 

The signing ceremony was attended by Alana Newbrook, CEO, SYSTRA ANZ and the NTC’s Executive Leader Dimi Rigas. 

For more information on the MoC and the NTC’s National Rail Action Plan, please click here. 

Want to learn more about Interoperability?

July 18, 2023

As the state’s single largest rail investment, the QTMP will help support the state’s economy and bolster Queensland as a leader in rail manufacturing with long-term jobs and skills development. 

The new state-of-the-art trains will provide passengers with more efficient, reliable and accessible travel across South East Queensland.  

Under a joint venture, SYSTRA and EGIS will be responsible for providing IC services across the entire QTMP, ensuring quality, safety and excellence for the people of Queensland.

Having already partnered in Australia and overseas on some of the most complex rail megaprojects, the team brings together two leading global engineering organisations that specialise in rail; to support the Government on a decade-long journey to deliver this transformational project.

“The selection of EGIS with our partner SYSTRA for the IC services for QTMP further builds on our ambition to be the leading rail professional service providers in Queensland. We are proud to be a part of this significant infrastructure program contributing jobs, growth and sovereign manufacturing capability to the state of Queensland and look forward to working closely with the State, Queensland Rail and Downer to progress this project.”

– Peter Mauracher, Egis Independent Certifier Project Director.

“SYSTRA is continuing to build on our reputation as a trusted independent advisor providing best in class IC services, through our recent engagement with the Queensland Government. Partnering with EGIS, we will help ensure the Government’s election commitment to supply, build and deliver 65 new passenger trains from their Maryborough facility; all in time for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Brisbane-based teams join forces bringing not just local knowledge, but our global might, to ensure this State significant project is delivered on time for the citizens of Queensland.”

– Alana Newbrook, CEO, SYSTRA ANZ.

The QTMP includes:

• construction of 65 six-car passenger trains
• construction of a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Maryborough for major manufacturing/assembly works
• construction of a new rail facility in Ormeau
• ongoing operation and maintenance of the fleet and rail facility.

Major construction activities on the facilities will commence later this year. The first train is anticipated to be manufactured by 2026, with all trains expected to be in service by 2032. The team look forward to contributing their expertise to this State-shaping program.

About EGIS

EGIS is an international player active in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility service sectors. The Group creates and operates intelligent infrastructure and buildings capable of responding to the climate emergency and helping to achieve more balanced, sustainable, and resilient territorial development.

With operations in 120 countries, EGIS places the expertise of its 16,000 employees at the disposal of its clients and develops cutting-edge innovation accessible to all projects. Through its wide-ranging fields of activity, EGIS is a central player in the collective organisation of society and the living environment of citizens all over the world.

For more information, see www.egis-group.com

About SYSTRA 

SYSTRA is one of the world’s leading engineering and consulting groups specialised in public transport and mobility solutions. For more than 65 years, the Group has worked alongside cities and regions, contributing to positive development by creating, improving, and modernising their transport infrastructures.   

The ANZ team is an integral part of the global network, backed by nearly 9,000 experts, providing us the unique ability to be agile with global scale.   

With our first project in Australia almost 20 years ago, in 2022, we opened our first permanent office in New Zealand, and are going from strength to strength, expanding in both geography and head count.  

When a project is complex, high risk and requires deep technical skills and pedigree, SYSTRA ANZ is the signature team.

For more information, visit systra.com/australia, or join the conversation on LinkedIn.