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'''Helen Louise Smith''' (b. July 1976) was announced as [[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#General_Manager|General ManagerManaging Director]] of both SVR(H) and General Manager of the Guarantee Company on 11 October between 2019and 2023, in succession to [[Nick Ralls]]. She was born in Yorkshire.
==Prior to the SVR==
==At the SVR==
As with her predecessor, the new GM’s General Manager’s arrival was followed by several serious events, in this case [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2020-2029#2020|Storm Dennis and severe flooding]], the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]] which coincided with a major project at [[Falling Sands Viaduct]], and landslips at [[Sterns]] and [[Alveley Sidings|Alveley Woods]]. From 2022 the Railway, like other attractions, faced drops in visitor numbers made worse by an economic downturn and cost-of-living crisis.<ref name=bljan23>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljan21 Branch Lines, January 2023]</ref> In 2020 she became an SVR(H) director, the first woman to do so. In 2021 she was confirmed as managing director, taking complete responsibility for the safe operation of the Railway, its financial health and future growth. She left in February 2023 to become chief operating officer at St Aubyn Estates, helping to look after St Michael’s Mount.<ref>The Railway Magazine, March 2023</ref> Helen steered the SVR through the pandemic, ensuring it secured substantial government support and emergency grant funding. She oversaw the huge interruption reopening of the Railway in very changed circumstances with the country still in partial lockdown. During her leadership the Railway won a [[Awards | national VisitEngland excellence award for Resilience and recovery operations that followed throughout 2020Innovation]]<ref name=bljan23/>.
==See also==
==References==
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