Heather Pennell is the Community Investment Manager at Metro Trains Melbourne, responsible for planning and delivering community investment and engagement initiatives that ensure Metro Trains connects meaningfully with the communities and passengers they serve.
She manages and has expanded Metro Trains’ partnership with South-East Community Links for the Community Connectors program, the first of its kind in Australia. It is a place-based public safety initiative supporting vulnerable people at train stations experiencing crisis. This safety-first innovation prioritises prevention, de-escalation and care, rather than enforcement. This is done through embedding qualified community outreach professionals into the transport environment.
Heather has been with Metro Trains since 2019. Prior to her current role, she managed Metro’s marketing department, leading initiatives including special event planning, passenger safety campaigns and partnerships with Melbourne Royal Show.
Prior to joining Metro Trains, Heather held multiple senior management roles in both London and Melbourne at marketing and creative agencies, working with clients such as the Defence Force Recruitment, Swisse Wellness, the Nissan Group, BMW, Jaguar, Melbourne City FC, the NBN rollout, Xerox and Bacardi.
