Leeds conductor receives accolade at young Asian achievement awards

Zahida Sultana, 24, who has worked for the train operator Northern since July 2020 has been named as a runner up in the public sector category at the Yorkshire Asian Young Achiever Awards - a scheme which celebrates people who have overcome deprivation and disadvantage or have broken down traditional barriers to progress.  

Zahida said: “It was an honour to receive this as a reward for my representation of young asian females working within the railway industry. I would like to thank my manager Kelly and all of Northern for all the support I have received.”  

She added that she wants to encourage more people from her background to join the rail industry.  

“I was aware the railway was driving more women to join but I had never seen a Hijab-wearing asian female in the conductor role. I was motivated to change this and represent all young asian females in this sector.  

“Upon joining Northern I was greatly welcomed and was not made to feel out of place at all.”  

Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said: “Congratulations to Zahida. She is a fantastic colleague and makes a difference to the business every day. We are all very proud of her achievement.”  

Northern is the second largest train operator in the country, with nearly 2,000 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.