Movers and Shakers in Transport & Infrastructure – The Headlines from September 2022

Movers and Shakers in Transport & Infrastructure – The Headlines from September 2022

It’s been an eventful month for our nation as the country mourned the Queen and welcomed a new Prime Minister.

It’s all systems go for Transport & Infrastructure as well, in what might just be the biggest movers and shakers update since we started circulating. What’s really positive is that 36% of all movers this month are female leaders, a new diversity record for Movers & Shakers.

Transport for London

Andy Byford has announced he will step down from his role as Commissioner at the end of October. Byford said he decided to leave the organisation after he met “two clear priorities” set at the beginning of his tenure in June 2020: opening the Elizabeth line, and leading TfL out of the pandemic and onto a better financial footing. Byford will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Operating Officer Andy Lord.

Genesee & Wyoming

Eddie Aston has left Genesee & Wyoming Inc, where he was Chief Executive Officer of the UK/Europe Region. Becky Lumlock has been appointed interim CEO until a successor has been appointed and transitioned to the role.

Serco

Have announced that CEO Rupert Soames will retire from the company in September 2023, and he’ll be succeeded by Mark Irwin, who’s currently the CEO of Serco’s U.K. and Europe Division.

Balfour Beatty

Have appointed Peter Mumford as Managing Director of its Regional Civils business in England and Wales. He joins from National Highways, where he spent five years, most recently as Executive Director – Major Projects & Capital Portfolio Management.

Andy Weber has also joined as Head of Interface Management for the HS2 Old Oak Common Station project. Weber has been working on Crossrail since 2015 most recently as Head of Stations.

Grant Thornton

Have appointed Marianne (Mo) Kilpatrick as a Managing Director in their Infrastructure team. Kilpatrick was Practice Director, Transport Consulting & Advisory for SNC Lavalin until 2019 and since then has been working as an Independent Consultant in the transport sector.

Manchester Airport Group

Have announced the appointment of Gareth Powell as the new Managing Director of London Stansted Airport. He joins having spent 19 years at Transport for London (TfL), most recently as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, which saw him lead TfL’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

He succeeds Steve Griffiths who moves to become Managing Director of East Midlands Airport and will have group-wide responsibility for delivering MAG’s Operational Transformation Programme.

South West Water

Richard Price joins as Chief Engineering Director. He leaves Bristol Water where he was Chief Operating Officer.

ARCADIS

Have announced three senior Sustainability Advisory appointments across the globe. Jane Boyle has joined as Sustainability Advisory Practice Lead in the UK and Ireland, while Michelle Bachir has joined in the same role in North America. Kealy Herman joins as Global Technical Director for Net Zero Strategy, residing in the United States.

Costain

Costain has named a Conservative peer and former public relations Executive, Baroness Rock to be its next Chair. She will take over from Paul Golby on 1st December 2022

Amey

Stephen Knott has been promoted internally to become Business Director – Strategic Highways. Knott has been with the business since 2014 most recently as Account Director.

VINCI

Garry Bowker has become Managing Director responsible for overseeing the North West, Yorkshire & North East and Midlands regions of VINCI Building in the UK. Bowker has been Regional Director, North West for the last two years.

Porterbrook

Have announced the appointment of Rob Taylor as Chief Financial Officer. The move comes as a result of the planned retirement of CFO Peter Coates. Taylor joins from Trenitalia UK where he is currently Finance and Corporate Director.

BTTC

Have appointed Matt Clark as their new Global Head of Program Delivery, Clark has been Chief Capital Officer at Metrolinx.

Mace

Mace’s Chief Financial Officer Richard Bienfait has resigned with immediate effect. Bienfait had held the executive position since January 2020.

UK Government

Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Transport. Trevelyan has been an MP in the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency since 2015 and has previously held roles such as the Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade.

Alongside this, Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Lord Callanan has been named as the new construction minister. The Conservative politician was appointed parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in February 2020.

Freightliner

Paul Long joins as Professional Head of T&RS Engineering. He leaves Loram UK where he has been Technical Director.

Metrolinx

Have appointed Chris Spencer as Vice President & Project Director. He moves from DfT where he has been Project Director working on the operation of the railway in the Midlands, UK.

Unipart Rail

Julie Carrier joins as Chief Commercial Officer UK & Europe. She leaves SYSTRA where she has been since 2016, most recently as Strategic Sales Director.

Blackstone

Gabrielle Dale has moved to Blackstone as their Managing Director for Infrastructure. She leaves Macquarie Group where she has been since 2006.

Jacobs

Have announced that Bob Pragada, current President and Chief Operating Officer, and a 16 year veteran of the company, will succeed Steve Demetriou as Chief Executive Officer and join Jacobs’ board of directors. The changes are effective Jan. 24, 2023. Demetriou will continue to serve as Executive Chair for a two-year minimum.

In the UK Richard Sanderson has been promoted to lead Jacobs UK and Ireland’s Transportation business. Sanderson succeeds James Nash who is now leading Jacobs Energy and Power business for Europe.


Bechtel

John Williams has been appointed at President, Bechtel Infrastructure Northeast US & Canada. Williams has been Managing Director for UK & Ireland since 2019.

Michelle De Franca also moves internally to become Managing Director for the Public Infrastructure business in the UK & Ireland. She has been with Bechtel since 2009 most recently as Transport Sector Lead.

South West Water

Richard Price joins as Chief Engineering Director. He leaves Bristol Water where he was Chief Operating Officer.

ARCADIS

Have announced three senior Sustainability Advisory appointments across the globe. Jane Boyle has joined as Sustainability Advisory Practice Lead in the UK and Ireland, while Michelle Bachir has joined in the same role in North America. Kealy Herman joins as Global Technical Director for Net Zero Strategy, residing in the United States.

Costain

Costain has named a Conservative peer and former public relations Executive, Baroness Rock to be its next Chair. She will take over from Paul Golby on 1st December 2022.

First Bus

Catherine De Marco joins as Partnerships Director. De Marco has spent the last 17 years in the civil service most recently with the Department for Transport (DfT) as Deputy Director Infrastructure Skills & Efficiency.

Network Rail

Jennifer Beston returns as Infrastructure Director for the HS1 route. Beston leaves Southeastern Railway where she was Head of Major Programmes since 2018.

Freightliner

Paul Long joins as Professional Head of T&RS Engineering. He leaves Loram UK where he has been Technical Director.

Metrolinx

Have appointed Chris Spencer as Vice President & Project Director. He moves from DfT where he has been Project Director working on the operation of the railway in the Midlands, UK.

Osborne

Have appointed Peter Duff as Group Finance Director to replace Stuart Hammond who is stepping down from the role after 17 years with the business. Duff joins Osborne from Laing O’Rourke where he has spent the last seven years latterly as European Finance Director.

Cundall

Have appointed Robin Pritchett as the UK’s National Lead for Building Performance Services (BPS). Pritchett joined Cundall in 2011 and was most recently Associate Director.

Chiltern Railways

Vanessa Russell has joined as Human Resources Director. Russell leaves GTR where she has been since 2018, most recently as Head of People for Southern and Gatwick Express.

Rianna Stanwell also joins as Programme Director, following four years at Arriva Rail London most recently as Head of Business Strategy.

Unipart Rail

Julie Carrier joins as Chief Commercial Officer UK & Europe. She leaves SYSTRA where she has been since 2016, most recently as Strategic Sales Director.

Great British Railways Transition Team

Matt Dolphin leaves Abellio Greater Anglia where he has been Finance Director, to take on the role of Commercial Finance Director – Fares, Ticketing & Retail.

Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE)

Kelly Warburton joins as Chief Commercial Officer. She leaves Unipart Rail where she has spent 17 years, most recently as Managing Director UK & Europe.

Muse

Morgan Sindall’s development arm, Muse, has appointed a former Landsec Director as its new Finance Director. Rosalind Futter worked at Landsec in a variety of finance roles for more than a decade – most recently serving as Group Finance Director.

Taylor Woodrow

John Lucas, Head of Resourcing is retiring following 34 years in the industry and 10 years with the business. He will be succeeded by Isabel Walder who has been Resource Manager since 2018.

Tilbury Douglas

Have made a number of changes to its teams across the UK. Paul Ellenor has been named as the group’s Regional Director for Yorkshire and the North East. To support Ellenor in his new role, Shaun Pearson has been appointed as Operations Director for the same regions.

They have also appointed Barry O’Hagan as Operations Director for Scotland.

ENOTRAC UK

ENOTRAC have appointed Martin Horsman as Managing Director of its UK subsidiary ENOTRAC UK. Horsman was formerly Associate Director as IPEX Consulting.

East Midlands Railway

Have appointed Simon Pready as Commercial Director. Pready leaves Nederlandse Spoorwegen where he has been Head of Asset Strategy based in the Netherlands. EMR’s owner group Abellio have until recently been a subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, until they announced their MBO in August.

Skanska

Richard Adams takes up the role of Area Director in their SCS JV on HS2, leaving Balfour Beatty where he was Executive General Manager for Major Projects.

RIA

Etihad’s CEO Tony Douglas has accepted an offer to to head Saudi Arabia’s new airline RIA. Senior Etihad executives are expected to follow in Douglas’ footsteps and join the airline in the upcoming months.

RATP Dev

Bill Cahill joins as Managing Director, Transit London. Cahill has most recently been Chief Operating Officer for the Mwasalat (ONTC) line in Oman.

XRail Group

Kelly Pepper joins as Business Development Director. She leaves Unipart Rail where she was Business Development Director UK & Europe.


If you’re looking to make any changes to your senior teams get in touch to see how partnering with Newsom Consulting will help you find the best talent.

Author: Jim Newsom

Jim Newsom

Managing Director