Effie Tzikopoulos


Asciano

Effie Tzikopoulos

How long have you been with PN?

I started my training 10 months ago and finished just after Christmas. I have been working with Pacific National (PN) ever since.

What is your role currently?

I currently work as a Second Assistant. I sit in the train cabin with the driver and watch the side they cannot see. My role requires me to be constantly vigilant and aware of what the driver is doing and our surroundings – when you’re driving a train with hundreds upon hundreds of tonnes on board, you cannot afford to not be paying attention!

I am also in charge of the shunting – connecting and testing the carriages of the train. This is a vital role and there can be no margin for error.

What would you like to be doing in the future?

I’d like to work as a driver – but I’ve got a way to go yet!

How has your training prepared you for this?

I have to admit, my first thought when I started was ‘What am I doing? Starting in a brand new industry I know nothing about!’ But I got over this pretty quickly. The training was so in-depth that I walked away feeling comfortable and confident.

What’s it like being a woman in logistics?

I think that most people view logistics, and particularly rail, as a male-only industry. This is simply not the case. While there are fewer women in the industry at the moment, throughout my training and my career with PN I have never once been made to feel that my gender could hold me back or that it makes me different to my teammates.

What do you like about working for PN?

The constant change – I’ll never be bored working here! There is always something new to learn. I also love the culture – you’re truly a part of the team. You become so close to your teammates that they’re like your family.

What advice would you give young job-seekers?

Embrace change – and working for PN is a huge change! Whether you are coming straight from school, from a different industry, or even from within the logistics business, working for PN is a great challenge.

If there is something you want to try, or something you’re interested in, just go for it – there’s no point thinking about ‘what if’s’.