Daniella O’Donoghue is appointed Head of HR for Capital Delivery at Network Rail, leading people strategy across the North, West & Central
North, West & Central Region, United Kingdom | February 2026 — Daniella O’Donoghue has been appointed Head of Human Resources (Capital Delivery – North, West & Central) at Network Rail, where she will lead the HR strategy supporting major capital delivery programmes across the region. In her new role, she will partner with senior leaders on workforce planning, organisational development, and cultural transformation aligned with Network Rail’s “Putting Passengers First” vision.
O’Donoghue brings more than five years of progressive leadership experience within Network Rail. Most recently, she served as Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Generalist) for the Southern Region, supporting Finance, Commercial, Legal, Property, Works Delivery, and Change functions, and aligning people strategy with operational performance.
Previously, she held the position of Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Programmes) in the Eastern Region, where she supported complex programme environments and advanced strategic workforce initiatives. Earlier in her tenure, she worked as Human Resources Project Manager and Human Resources Business Partner for the East Coast Route (Infrastructure Maintenance), building deep expertise in employee relations, operational workforce management, and transformation delivery.
Before joining Network Rail, O’Donoghue was a Human Resources Consultant at the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, gaining valuable international HR experience. Her earlier career includes HR roles at Arriva Trains Wales and OCS Group UK, where she developed strong foundations in HR service delivery and workforce transition support.
Her appointment underscores Network Rail’s continued investment in internal talent development and the strengthening of HR leadership across its Capital Delivery function.
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