Vaibhav Puri, OBE, Director of Sector Strategy and Transformation
Vaibhav joined RSSB in 2004 focussing initially on provision of analysis and optimising systems performance in Research & Development. In June 2014, Vaibhav was appointed Head of Technical and Regulatory Policy and since 2018 he was also the Deputy Director of Standards. He has been an influential voice in the evolution of the UK and EU railway legislation, including supporting the Department for Transport and the sector in transitioning seamlessly to a post-EU exit legal landscape. Vaibhav is recognised in the UK and internationally as an expert in rail regulation, governance, and standards, providing advice to senior government and industry executives, the regulator, as well as several high-profile projects and organisations.
On behalf of the UK, Vaibhav chairs the Committee of Technical Experts (CTE) for the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) which sets international law for rail transport. He has also led several European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) task forces on safety culture and use of data and systems, and he was also part of ERA’s Economic Steering Group. In his current role, Vaibhav is the RSSB lead in the implementation of the Rail Reform and Great British Railway and is responsible for aligning RSSB’s role with wider sector strategies and future direction. Vaibhav also leads RSSB’s Futures Lab which is helping the industry prepare for emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence as well as using Foresight and Horizon Scanning to prepare for future risks and opportunities. In 2025, Vaibhav received the honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his outstanding contribution to railway safety and standards in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours.
Vaibhav is a civil engineer with an MBA in Marketing and Information Systems and has an MSc in Operational Research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
