Leila Frances's guest appearances

Leila Frances

Transit Unplugged

Women Who Move Nations - The Public Transport Podcast

Lauren Skiver

Paul Comfort

Magda Robertson

Keolis Downer

Gary Thomas

Wiebe Wakker

Brad Miller

David Kim

Terry White

Loretta Lynch

Robert Schneider

Kevin Quinn

Tom Lambert

Robert Puentes

Debbie Dalle Vedove

OwlTail

As Chairman of the Board of Keolis Downer in Australia and President of the Middle East and India for Keolis, Leila Frances is a woman who moves many nations. As she explains to host Michelle Batsas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ), Leila has built her expertise through on-the-ground operational experience, understanding people and line management, then switching to the commercial side of the business and growing that into an international perspective. She oversees the world's largest tram network in Melbourne, Australia's first multimodal network in Newcastle, Gold Coast light rail and new automated metro systems in Doha, Qatar and Hyderabad, India. Reflecting on her career in public transport, Leila feels fortunate to work in such a forward-thinking sector that’s all about changing cities and people’s lives.

As Chairman of the Board of Keolis Downer in Australia and President of the Middle East and India for Keolis, Leila Frances is a woman who moves many nations. As she explains to host Michelle Batsas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ), Leila has built her expertise through on-the-ground operational experience, understanding people and line management, then switching to the commercial side of the business and growing that into an international perspective. She oversees the world's largest tram network in Melbourne, Australia's first multimodal network in Newcastle, Gold Coast light rail and new automated metro systems in Doha, Qatar and Hyderabad, India. Reflecting on her career in public transport, Leila feels fortunate to work in such a forward-thinking sector that’s all about changing cities and people’s lives.

Leila Frances, Chairman of the Board, Keolis Downer and President, Keolis - Middle East and India 

“What I love about transport [is] you’re changing people’s lives. You’re changing cities.” What do India, Qatar, and Australia have in common? It’s where our next guest of Transit Unplugged oversees some of the most innovative public transport operations in the world. Transit Unplugged is lucky to have Leila Frances, President Middle East and Hyderabad of Keolis and Chairman of Keolis Downer, as our guest this week. Frances discusses the automated metro services in India and Qatar, which makes Keolis the world leader in automated metro operations. She also does a deep dive into the importance of data in decision making. Data can give everyone (employees, passengers, politicians, residents) a better understanding of how public transport affects their daily lives. It can impact operations by analyzing trends – seeing the correlation of external factors that impact and extend dwell times. You can use data and real-time information to communicate with passengers, creating a positive passenger and community experience by setting expectations during times of expansion and building individualized experiences for your riders.   She also shares her insight on her approach to management through their visualization rooms. By holding everyone accountable and giving them operational information (through KPIs), it gives every employee a better understanding of what is going on within the business. Finally, she talks about how on-demand service, the potential of flying public transport, and Hyperloop might factor into the future of transportation. If you want to know more about Keolis, Keolis Downer (Australia and New Zealand), the Doha Metro Project (Qatar), or Keolis Hyderabad (India), please check out the associated links. Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

“What I love about transport [is] you’re changing people’s lives. You’re changing cities.” What do India, Qatar, and Australia have in common? It’s where our next guest of Transit Unplugged oversees some of the most innovative public transport operations in the world. Transit Unplugged is lucky to have Leila Frances, President Middle East and Hyderabad of Keolis and Chairman of Keolis Downer, as our guest this week. Frances discusses the automated metro services in India and Qatar, which makes Keolis the world leader in automated metro operations. She also does a deep dive into the importance of data in decision making. Data can give everyone (employees, passengers, politicians, residents) a better understanding of how public transport affects their daily lives. It can impact operations by analyzing trends – seeing the correlation of external factors that impact and extend dwell times. You can use data and real-time information to communicate with passengers, creating a positive passenger and community experience by setting expectations during times of expansion and building individualized experiences for your riders.   She also shares her insight on her approach to management through their visualization rooms. By holding everyone accountable and giving them operational information (through KPIs), it gives every employee a better understanding of what is going on within the business. Finally, she talks about how on-demand service, the potential of flying public transport, and Hyperloop might factor into the future of transportation. If you want to know more about <a href="https://www.keolis.com/en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keolis</a>, <a href="https://www.keolisdowner.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keolis Downer</a> (Australia and New Zealand), the <a href="http://www.rkhqitarat.com/projects/#projects_doha-metro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Doha Metro Project</a> (Qatar), or <a href="http://www.keolishyderabad.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keolis Hyderabad</a> (India), please check out the associated links. Remember to check out <a href="http://www.transitunplugged.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">transitunplugged.com</a> to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

Mobility Innovations – Leila Frances