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

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

Wimbledon is here signifying the start of the Great British Summer time! Time to get the BBQ fired up and the Pimms on ice.

June has been a busy month for movers and shakers across Transport & Infrastructure. Check out the headlines below…

South Western Railway

Have announced that Stuart Meek will be joining its leadership team as Chief Operating Officer, following the retirement of Mike Houghton earlier this year. He is moving from Go-Ahead Group where he has been Operations Director for the past three years.

Mace

Have appointed Andy Beard as its Global Cost and Commercial Lead. Beard joins from Arcadis where he has been since 2004.

Darren Colderwood also joins Mace as Sizewell C Alliance Director, heading up the civil works alliance team. Colderwood has been Capital Delivery Director – Southern Region at Network Rail since last January and before that he was Director of Infrastructure & PMO at Heathrow Airport.

Stadler Rail

Paul Patrick has moved internally to become Managing Director. He joined Stadler as Engineering Director for the UK in 2020.

VolkerWessels UK

Richard Offord has moved up internally into the role of Chief Executive after 32 years with the business. Offord joined Fitzpatrick as an engineer in 1990, he has worked in several roles, most recently as Managing Director of VolkerFitzpatrick and Chief Operating Officer of the wider group in the UK.

Offord will take up his new position in August, replacing Alan Robertson, who will move into the newly created role of Chairman of the business.

Cundall

Have announced its new Global Managing Partner. Carole O’Neil steps up to lead the business 15 years after she first joined and takes over from Tomás Neeson, who has been Managing Partner for eight years and will now act as Chair of Cundall’s partners.

Manchester Airport

MAG has announced the appointment of Chris Woodroofe as the new Managing Director of Manchester Airport. He joins from Chevron Traffic Management, where he has been Chief Operating Officer since October 2021, prior to that he was COO at Gatwick Airport.

He will be supported by Ian Costigan who will continue to oversee the airport’s operational functions, having been interim Managing Director since April.

Costain

Matt Browell-Hook has been appointed as the new Energy Director leading the company’s energy portfolio from strategic advisory to programme delivery. He joins from Kent where he was Market Director.

TfL

Have appointed Patrick Doig as interim Chief Financial Officer following the departure of Simon Kilonback.

Thames Water

Have appointed Richard Randolph as Asset Management & Investment Director. Randolph leaves Turner & Townsend having spent the last year as a Director in their Programme Advisory business.

AmcoGiffen

Have appointed a new Regional Head of SHEQ, Scotland, Andrew Wilson. He leaves Roadbridge where he was UK Health and Safety Manager.

Flowbird Group

Natalie Poppleton moves internally to take up the position of Deputy Group Human Resources Director. She has been with Flowbird Transportation as Human Resources Director since 2020.

Porterbrook

Justin Taylor moves to Porterbrook as Head of Commercial. He leaves Alstom where he has been Customer Director.

WSP

WSP have created a new business unit, Strategic Advisory, becoming the firm’s fifth business unit, alongside Property & Buildings, Transport & Infrastructure, Planning & Advisory and Water, Energy & Industry.

Strategic Advisory will be led by Ian Liddell who has been Managing Director of WSP’s Planning & Advisory business since January 2017. He has been succeeded in that role by Paul Reilly who joined from Stantec in early May.

WSP have also appointed Richard Stoodley as UK Director of Programme and PMO Services. Stoodley leaves National Highways where he has spent the last two years as Head of Profession: Programme and Project Management.

FirstGroup

Have announced the appointment of Martijn Gilbert to the new role of Managing Director of its two open access operators Lumo and Hull Trains, joining in September. Gilbert has been Managing Director of Go-Ahead Group bus operator Go North East since August 2018.

Think Research

Have appointed Michael Fairbanks as ATM Director. He leaves Taylor Airey where he has been a Principal Consultant.

CrossCountry Trains

Mark Goodall joins as Service Delivery Director, leaving Chiltern Railways where he was Operations Director.

Sir Robert McAlpine

Have appointed Andrew Hunter as its new Director of Engineering.

Hunter succeeds Alison Cox, who became Managing Director for London last August.

Hitachi Rail

Stephen McGurk leaves Porterbrook where he was most recently Chief Portfolio Officer to join Hitachi Rail as their Special Projects Counsel.

Skanska

Have appointed James Corker as Operations Director (Rail) to help lead its growth plans in the sector. Corker leaves Morgan Sindall where he was Area Director responsible for all Network Rail and third-party rail projects.

The Go-Ahead Group

Have announced two leadership appointments. Chris Peaker becomes Rail Strategy and Performance Director, while Phil Southall is seconded to the group from the Oxford Bus Company where he is Managing Director. He will take up the position of Bus Performance Director for 6 months.

Pell Frischmann

Richard Mansfield joins as Divisional Director and Rail Lead (North). He leaves Atkins where he was Project Director.

GB Railfreight

Dean Duthie has moved internally to become Head of Asset Delivery and Projects. He has been with the company since 2017, most recently as Head of Projects.

Systra

David Alexander joins as Projects Director. He leaves Mott MacDonald where he has been Projects Director, Rail Planning since 2017.

Unipart Rail

Anvesh Prasad has joined as Group Procurement and Supply Chain Director. He leaves Porterbrook where he was Head of Procurement for the last four years.

Lots of our contacts have been reaching out to us eager to get the ball rolling on executive searches before jetting off on summer holidays.

If you or your business are looking to make changes to your senior teams, please drop me an email to discuss your needs in more detail.

Author: Jim Newsom

Jim Newsom

Managing Director