The 50 most influential women in UK IT 2016

In 2016, Cooklin was appointed route services director for Network Rail, responsible for supplying services to each of Network Rail’s eight routes. She has been the CIO and director of shared services at Network Rail since 2009. Her career spans more than 20 years in financial services, leading business, technology and operational teams in global organisations. In 2015, she launched Could IT Be You?, a competition for girls aged between 16 and 18, which asks them to explain how technology can improve their lives and make things better. The winning girl had her first-year university fees paid for by Network Rail. Three runners-up received two weeks’ paid work experience and mentoring with the Network Rail IT team.