Notch 8 Consultancy was established by Aaron Wood in 2024. Its name refers to the highest power setting on a locomotive’s throttle control. When a locomotive is set to Notch 8, it engages the engine to operate at peak performance, delivering maximum tractive effort when it is needed most. The rail industry faces no shortage of complex challenges, so whether starting from a standstill, climbing steep grades, recovering performance, or navigating significant change, it helps to have access to Notch 8.

The company is actively developing strategic alliances with complementary technology providers, specialist consultancies, and industry experts, enabling clients to access a broad range of capabilities through a single, trusted partner. This collaborative approach allows Notch 8 to combine operational, engineering, asset management, safety, organisational, and technology expertise to deliver practical and sustainable improvements across the rail and transit sector.

Aaron Wood, Founder and Managing Director of Notch 8, brings more than 25 years of experience spanning asset owners, operators, maintainers, manufacturers, and suppliers across the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Having held senior leadership and executive positions within some of the industry’s most demanding environments, he has led major mobilisation programmes, operational transformation initiatives, asset management improvements, fleet modernisation projects, safety and assurance programmes, organisational change, and technology-enabled maintenance strategies.

His experience includes serving as Engineering & Maintenance Director for Dubai Metro, with executive responsibility for one of the world’s largest and most complex driverless metro networks. He has held senior mobilisation leadership roles supporting the introduction of Riyadh Metro Line 3, where he was responsible for establishing and preparing significant elements of the future maintenance organisation, operational readiness framework, and asset management arrangements ahead of passenger service. He also played a key role in the mobilisation and service introduction of Doha Metro and Lusail Tram for the Operator before returning some years later as a Interim General Manager and Engineering Director for one of the networks primary subcontractors, where he led organisational review, performance improvement, governance enhancement, and transformational change activities on behalf of the shareholder board.

Aaron has acted as technical lead, solution strategist, and bid leader on numerous high-profile international opportunities across Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, supporting operators, maintainers, asset owners, and technology providers in the development of winning solutions and sustainable operating models. His experience extends across operations, maintenance, engineering, asset management, safety, quality, customer service, and organisational transformation, providing a rare ability to connect strategic intent with operational reality.

He has been at the forefront of introducing advanced maintenance technologies, automation, condition monitoring, and asset intelligence solutions into live railway environments, helping organisations move towards more data-driven and intelligence-led approaches to asset management and maintenance. His experience implementing ISO 55001 asset management principles, leading large-scale reliability improvement programmes, deploying innovative inspection technologies, digitising maintenance delivery, and integrating advanced analytics platforms provides a unique perspective that combines strategic thinking with practical delivery.

Known for a personable, pragmatic, and results-focused approach, Aaron works closely with clients to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. His breadth of experience across operations, maintenance, engineering, asset management, safety, governance, technology, and organisational transformation enables him to develop solutions that are not only technically robust, but also practical, deliverable, and aligned with the realities of operating and maintaining complex rail systems.