Rail Freight Group (RFG) has appointed Ralph Goldney to its Board and confirmed the re-appointment of Richard Hastings, further strengthening its breadth of expertise and industry insight.
Ralph Goldney of Railfreight Consulting was formally elected to the Board for the first time at RFG’s Annual General Meeting yesterday, 12 November 2025, held at Northampton Gateway Terminal. Richard Hastings, head of logistics at Nestlé UK & Ireland, was also re-elected at the meeting.
Each brings extensive experience and a strong commitment to promoting the role of rail freight in the UK’s transport and logistics sector.
Ralph has spent the past 18 years working in rail freight, initially supporting GB Railfreight in mobilising for its Metronet contract before establishing his own business, Railfreight Consulting. An engineer by training, he has led numerous projects for RSSB and Network Rail, covering topics from locomotive tractive effort to simplified signalling and End of Train devices. Ralph combines technical and commercial expertise and is passionate about advancing rail freight’s contribution to the UK economy.
On his appointment, Ralph said: “The RFG has always felt like my professional home, and I’m honoured to be able to give something back. I look forward to supporting Maggie and the team, championing the benefits of rail freight, and helping strengthen our industry however I can.”
Richard is a logistics professional with more than 40 years of experience, including 33 with Nestlé. He leads a team of 260 across Nestlé’s transport and warehouse operations and has driven major sustainability initiatives, including switching all warehouse operations to renewable energy, replacing diesel with renewable low-carbon fuels, and promoting greater use of rail. His innovative approach has helped overcome challenges such as loading-gauge constraints, enabling a significant shift from road to rail.
Richard said: “I’m delighted to have been re-elected to the RFG Board. As Nestlé continues to move more of its traffic to rail, having a close relationship with the RFG is a major enabler of us realising our modal shift ambitions.”
Maggie Simpson OBE, RFG director general, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Ralph to the Board and to confirm Richard’s re-appointment. They each bring a great deal of experience, expertise and new perspectives on the rail freight sector. Their insights will be invaluable as we continue to make the case for rail freight growth.”
Simon Blake of Holcim has also stood down from the Board. The Group thanked him for his significant contribution and dedicated service during his tenure.
Image credit: RFG
