Daniel Headifen

Daniel is currently the Chair of the Rail Technical Society of Australasia. He is a Chartered civil engineer in New Zealand and the United Kingdom with a 20+ year history in rail work in both New Zealand and overseas. He has held various technical, operational and project management roles including being the founding manager for KiwiRail’s Civil Engineering group, Area Manager for the Taranaki and Hawkes Bay regions of KiwiRail’s Network and a Management Team member for the internationally award-winning North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery Alliance post the Kaikoura Earthquake. He is currently the Programme Director for KiwiRail’s Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery and Mechanical Facilities upgrades. He is a long-time member of the RTSA, has been Chair of RTSA’s New Zealand Branch since 2020 and is a keen advocate for the technical improvement of the New Zealand rail industry.