Rail Baltica is a railway infrastructure megaproject that spans across several countries. The depth of skills and expertise required to successfully execute a greenfield project of this caliber is extensive and would not be possible without our diverse team of professionals.
Welcome back to our series, “Rail Baltica: The People Behind the Vision,” where we introduce you to the members of the Rail Baltica global project team. These individuals are the driving force advancing the Rail Baltica project with their professionalism, dedication, and passion for this project.
Kristīne Dzene, Project Funding Controller, RB Rail AS
This week, we are pleased to introduce Kristīne Dzene, Project Funding Controller at RB Rail AS. Kristīne joined the Rail Baltica team a year and a half ago, inspired by the project’s vision and its significance for both the Baltics and Europe. She values clear communication and collaboration as essential to managing such a large-scale initiative and encourages curiosity as a key to understanding the project’s complexity. With a balanced and thoughtful approach to work and life, Kristīne contributes to Rail Baltica’s mission with dedication and insight.
When did you join the Rail Baltica project and what inspired you to become a part of the team?
I joined the Rail Baltica team a year and a half ago. It has always been important to me to work at a company that has vision and clear goals. Becoming part of such a meaningful project, one that is important not only for the Baltics but for all of Europe, was a great next step in my career and an opportunity to see this whole process from the inside.
What does the Rail Baltica project mean to you?
Rail Baltica is a significant step toward the future that will bring value not only to the current generation but also to the next. Rail Baltica is not just a railway – it is a connection, a part of the network, and part of Europe’s bloodstream. These rails will open our borders to Europe even wider.
What do you believe is the most challenging aspect of this mega project?
Communication is key for all companies, and in such a large project, it becomes especially meaningful due to the many parties involved and numerous processes happening in parallel. Communication also helps identify how your work impacts other departments and what can be done to improve processes and make life easier for everyone involved.
What advice would you give to a newcomer joining the Rail Baltica project team?
I would encourage the newcomer to stay curious. Curiosity in the best sense – asking questions, even the seemingly silly ones – because this helps you dive deeper and truly understand things down to the details. It really helps to understand the purpose of your role and see how all departments collaborate and connect.
How do you balance home and work life and what advice would you give to other women?
A long, long time ago I read a book by Robin Sharma “The monk who sold his Ferrari”. The one chapter that is still in my mind is about the man who worked hard and many hours and gave everything to his job just to earn money. And the doctor asked him: “If you would own an expensive and luxury Ferrari, would you keep it’s engine active 24hours a day?” Of course, the answer was NO. And then the question from the doctor was: “Then why do you do it to yourself? You are this expensive and luxury Ferrari and your engine is working 24/7”. During my career I have always tried to keep this in mind and to put the strict borders between home and work – you do your best during the working hours and then after that reload your batteries for the next day. In real life of course it is not so simple and sometimes it is easy to leave the office, but not so simple to shut down your brain, but nevertheless you should always keep in mind that you are a luxury Ferrari and you should keep driving for a long time.