Babs is ‘Rising Star’

West Midlands transport authority’s (Centro) Black Country Area Manager, Babs Coombes, has won the Rising Star Award at the 2013 Shine Awards. Babs joined Centro as a Media Officer in 2003 before being selected for its two year talent programme. She is currently overseeing the £10m Better Bus Area Fund, which is being used in the Brierley Hill area to provide improved bus routes and facilities. The awards ceremony took place at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London and was presented by England rugby star, Matt Dawson. They were organised by Women 1st, an organisation that aims to promote and support women in managerial roles in the passenger transport, hospitality, travel and tourism sector. The event also saw Arriva’s Director of Human Resources, Alison O’Connor, inducted into the Top 100 Club, a network of the most influential women in the sector.

Babs said, ‘I am so pleased and proud to have won this award. It is amazing to have been recognised in this way by women in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry across the UK for doing a job which I love. I am really passionate about making public transport better for people living in the West Midlands, and enjoy working and meeting with so many different people across the area. No two days are ever the same and I feel very lucky just to have the opportunity to do my job so winning the Women 1st Shine Rising Star award really is the icing on the cake.’