2025 Review – A Year To Celebrate

8th January 2026

As we start 2026, it’s the perfect time to reflect on 2025 and what was another defining year for Advance TRS. From celebrating a major business milestone and strengthening our compliance credentials, to welcoming new leaders, supporting our communities, and recognising the people who make everything possible. It was a year about people, progress, and purpose.

Celebrating 14 Years of Advance TRS

Last September marked a proud milestone as Advance TRS celebrated 14 years in business. Over the years, we’ve grown into a trusted recruitment partner across rail, infrastructure, energy, aviation, telecoms, and the wider built environment, while staying true to the values that have guided us from day one.

Reaching this anniversary is a reflection of long-standing relationships, continued trust from clients and candidates, and a team that consistently delivers with integrity and commitment.

Accreditation & Memberships

Maintaining the highest standards across everything we do remains central to Advance TRS. In 2025, we reinforced that commitment through several key achievements:

• Successful RISQS recertification, demonstrating our continued focus on quality, safety, and compliance within the rail sector
• ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 surveillance audits completed, reinforcing our dedication to information security and health & safety management
• Joining the Rail Forum, becoming a member of the Rail Forum was important as it plays a vital role in connecting organisations across the rail industry, encouraging collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and innovation. For us, joining the Rail Forum is about being actively involved in shaping the future of the sector. It allows us to stay close to industry developments, contribute to meaningful conversations, and ensure the recruitment solutions we provide are informed, responsible, and aligned with the evolving needs of rail clients and professionals.

These accreditations and memberships go beyond compliance. They reflect how we operate, the standards we hold ourselves to, and the trust placed in us by the industries we support.

We also saw exciting growth across our specialist offerings with the launch of our Nuclear and Defence sectors. These additions reflect increasing demand for highly skilled professionals across critical infrastructure and further strengthen our ability to support complex, highly regulated environments.

We were proud to welcome many new team members in 2025, across delivery, leadership, marketing, recruitment, and compliance, each bringing valuable experience and a fresh perspective.

Two appointments in particular marked an important step forward in strengthening our sector leadership:

• Karen Upton – We were delighted to welcome Karen as Lead Delivery Manager for Infrastructure & Rail. Karen brings deep sector knowledge and a delivery-focused mindset, supporting the continued growth of our rail and infrastructure offering.
• Sam Mayo – We also welcomed Sam as Head of Telecoms & M&E, reinforcing our commitment to investing in specialist leadership within this rapidly evolving sector.

Celebrating Loyalty & Long-Service Milestones

We were especially proud to celebrate the dedication of team members reaching five years and beyond at Advance TRS. Something that’s increasingly rare in today’s working world and a true reflection of how we look after and invest in our people.

More than 10 staff members reached their 5-year+ milestone. A special mention goes to Sam Jennings, who celebrated 11 years with the business, and to Carolyn Kaye, marking an incredible 14 years, a remarkable achievement that speaks volumes about their impact, leadership, and long-term commitment.

Bringing people together remained a key focus for us throughout the year. We came together for many key events and celebrations, and to celebrate our successes. In April, we kicked things off with a company-wide conference, followed by a summer gathering at the Boathouse. We also played mini golf and ended the year by dancing the night away at our fabulous, glitzy Christmas party.

These moments are about more than socials; they reflect our people-first culture and the importance we place on recognising effort, success, and connection.

Throughout 2025, we stayed actively engaged with the wider rail industry, attending key events including the 5th Annual Rail Aid Golf Day in support of Railway Children, as well as RIA Trailblazers at The Oval and the RIA 150th Anniversary Event, which brought together professionals from across the rail sector to connect, share insight, and celebrate the industry’s progress.

Giving Back: Community & Charity at the Heart of Advance TRS

Supporting our communities remains central to life at Advance TRS, and our teams once again demonstrated their commitment to making a positive impact.

Our wider charity and community initiatives in 2025 included:

• 33km Wine Walk for The Railway Children‘s Charity, raising just under £1,000 for this incredible charity.
• Environmental volunteering in Victoria Park, with the South Coast team clearing, planting, and restoring green spaces.
• Mock interview sessions at Surrey Care Trust, supporting young adults preparing to enter the workforce.
• Movember fundraising, led by Stuart Minchen, supporting men’s mental health awareness
• One of the most inspiring initiatives connected to Advance TRS this year is Sam Riley’s upcoming Mount Kilimanjaro trek. Sam, our Lead for Digital Infrastructure, is also Head of Corporate Relations for the Young Rail Professionals. His climb will take place in March 2026 and is in support of Railway Children. This challenge reflects Sam’s commitment to making a difference and our continued support for a charity that provides vital protection, care, and opportunity to vulnerable children around the world. We’re incredibly proud of Sam for taking on this challenge and encourage everyone to support, contribute, and help raise awareness for this important cause.

We closed 2025 with pride in what’s been achieved and excitement for what lies ahead in 2026. The business is growing, our sector expertise continues to expand, and our people remain at the heart of everything we do.

Thank you to our clients, candidates, partners, and colleagues for being part of the journey. We look forward to building on this momentum and making the year ahead even stronger.