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.
Haralds Gribusts, IT Project Manager, RB Rail AS
Haralds Gribusts works as an IT Project Manager at RB Rail AS, contributing to the coordination and delivery of IT-related projects within the organization. For Haralds, strong teamwork is built on communication and collaboration, where each specialist contributes their expertise toward a common goal, supported by mutual respect and shared responsibility.
When did you join Rail Baltica, and what motivated you to become part of the project?
I joined this project roughly 3.5 years ago. There were several factors in taking this new adventure. Firstly, I played a lot with Lego and train models in childhood, so the technical part has always been part of my life. Secondly, I had worked for 10 years in my previous company and decided that this opportunity would allow me to return closer to my childhood dreams and broaden my knowledge.
How would you describe your role to someone who has never worked in rail or infrastructure, and what does a typical workday look like for you?
“Imagine someone brings a rusted, non-working car into a garage and says, ‘I want this to be a high-performance racing machine by summer.’
I am the Garage Manager. I don’t personally rebuild the engine or paint the body, but I am the one who finds the experts to perform the tasks and communicates with the customer about any issues or unplanned tasks, like additional rust.”
What situation recently made you stop and think differently?
There are many situations almost every day, as it is a rapid routine, so small stops are required quite often, and it is not possible to point out one concrete situation.
What have you learned here that you will carry with you throughout your career?
There are many experts, and each one of them has a specialized field where they shine. In the end, you can reach only a certain point in time or tasks alone. Communication and alignment between departments, no matter the size, are the key to smaller or bigger victories.
What does good teamwork mean to you in your daily work, and how do you contribute to a positive team culture?
As Cornelius Waldo Smith did popularize “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link”, I would rephrase this in a way that your chain is strong, but it consists of links, and you cannot reach the other side of a canyon with 1 link! The main linkage is created by the HoD of IT, but I try to say thank you to my teammates and, from time to time, buy some sweets for that “brainergy”.
How do you usually recharge outside of work?
As my grandfather used to say, the best recharging is to switch the task you are doing to something different, so after work I am wrenching in the garage or doing some chores together with my kids. Kids make the best challenges that require a unique approach.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger professional self?
Talk less, but say more; listen, but hear more! Invest in communication and negotiation skills.