Go-Ahead’s David Brown to retire after 10 years as chief

The boss of transport operator Go-Ahead is to leave the business after 10 years in the top role.

Industry veteran David Brown told shareholders on Wednesday morning that he intends to retire at the end of the year.

The company, which runs Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern, said it has launched a process to find his successor and will make another update in due course.

Mr Brown has spent nearly 40 years working in the transport industry, including as chief executive of London Buses for Go-Ahead London and managing director of surface transport at Transport for London, before he became chief at Go-Ahead in early 2011.

Mr Brown said: “It has been a privilege to lead the Go-Ahead Group and its 30,000 colleagues delivering over a billion annual customer journeys pre-pandemic.

“I look forward to helping those passengers return to public transport in the next few months, which will be vital as we rebuild the UK economy and work towards ambitious climate change targets.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my many years providing vital transport services to customers, communities and stakeholders, and I look forward to the next stage in my career.”

In March, the Newcastle-based company recorded a rail operating profit for the six months to January 2 of £6.5 million, before exceptional charges relating to its operations in Germany.

Clare Hollingsworth, chairman of the company board, said: “On behalf of the board I would like to thank David for his strong and inspirational leadership of the group over the last 10 years.

“He has championed innovation and growth in the UK, led our overseas expansion and successfully steered us through the pandemic.

“David will continue to provide strong leadership to the group to enable a smooth handover.”