Natalie Leroyer 25 years at Eurostar

I joined Eurostar in 1994 when it was called European Passenger Services after a colleague saw a Train Manager advert in the paper and encouraged me to apply as I am bilingual. I was 25 and I needed a career rather than a job. Eurostar gave me that opportunity. It was new and different and exciting, I’d never been to Belgium before. I thought I would do it for a year and see where it took me as I’d never been a train mad person, little did I know!! I met some fabulous people and made loads of great friends. I had a lot of fun and I ended up staying in the role for 7 years.

When I had my daughter, shift work was more difficult and tiring, so I wanted to work in an office. I started working as an Auditor in the Production Department in Waterloo in 2001, which involved ensuring people adhered to procedures, creating reports and proposing solutions where necessary. The role was different from anything I was used to, and I enjoyed it as it allowed me to discover a whole new side to the company, and it suited my personality as I am nosey and a chatterbox. I stayed in this role for 7 years too.

After a reorg, I joined the REX (retour d’experience) department doing accident and incident investigation. Finding the causes of accidents was interesting, and we worked closely with the Engineering department which first introduced me to the more technical side of the company. That was very interesting and a challenge.

7 years later I moved to the Engineering depot permanently as a Maintenance Planner, I think I got the technical bug!! This is where I am today. In this role, I plan the high-level maintenance across the three depots in London, Paris, and Brussels, and primarily look after the restrictions.

Working at TMI (Temple Mills International, our Engineering depot) has been great. I’ve really enjoyed working amongst engineering, getting my hands dirty without really getting them dirty. Eurostar has been a fantastic career with great opportunities. I feel really privileged to have experienced so many different sides of the company. Where have 25 years gone?!