Press release -
Govia Thameslink welcomes Ian McLaren as new finance director
Ian McLaren will be joining Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on 11 December. Ian is currently the Finance and Contracts Director at London Midland, a role he has held since 2014.
Ian brings wide experience to GTR from his previous roles in the transport, technology and professional services sectors. He has held senior level appointments in these industries across the UK, continental Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States.
As well as leading GTR’s finance team, Ian will be responsible for procurement and IT activities. He replaces Wilma Allan, who is taking up the role of Chief Finance Officer at London City Airport.
GTR Chief Executive Charles Horton said: “I very much look forward to working with Ian and I know he’ll add real value to the business. His broad experience and intimate knowledge of the rail and technology industries will help keep our transformation of the GTR network on track to deliver a better railway and excellent service for our customers.
“I am very grateful to Wilma Allan, who has led finance teams in Govia for the past 15 years, for her very significant contribution to GTR. Her commitment and professionalism have been outstanding. She will be missed by me and many others across the company and I wish her all the best for the future.”
Ends
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For more information email press.office@gtrailway.com or call
Thameslink and Great Northern press office: 0203 750 2031
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Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
Thameslink – services between Bedford and Brighton, Luton/St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks
Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
GTR is the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff. The operator carries about 326 million passenger journeys per year, and employs around 6,500 people. Its aim is to improve services across all four networks.
Ticket revenue is passed to the government, which pays GTR a fee to operate the franchise. The fee is adjusted according to how well the train service is performing.
Southern has the fastest passenger growth in the UK with numbers into London having doubled in 12 years - compared with the industry as a whole doubling over the past 20 years. To meet this growth and to future-proof the network, GTR is modernising the rail service for passengers.
GTR has introduced more new trains in the past year than all other franchises put together, with 500 new carriages so far.
The transformative £7bn Thameslink Programme will bring hundreds more daily services from 2018, increasing the number of trains though the central London core from up to 15 to 24 trains per hour. Network Rail has also launched a £300m programme to improve resilience across the GTR network.
GTR is modernising how it works, with new technology in use at our stations and on our trains, smartcard ticketing and a new, flexible on-board role on many Southern services. This ensures fewer cancellations, and with more staff on board our trains now than ever before, passengers are enjoying a much better level of on-board customer service.
The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.
www.southernrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com,www.greatnorthernrail.com
