Former Network Rail boss joins National Express

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Former Network Rail chief executive and chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority Sir John Armitt has been appointed as the new chairman of National Express.

Armitt will replace outgoing John Devaney, who announced that he was stepping down from the role in July.

Sir John is currently deputy chairman of Berkeley Group and is a member of the Transport for London Board.

From 2001 to 2007, Sir John was chief executive of Network Rail and its predecessor, Railtrack.

In 1997, he was appointed as chief executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001. Before this he was chief executive of Union Railways, the company responsible for development of the high-speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link and previously spent 27 years at John Laing plc.

Following the announcement of his appointment, Sir John said: “I am very pleased to join National Express Group as its chairman, a company that is respected internationally for the quality of its services. I would like to pay tribute to John Devaney for his chairmanship of the business and look forward to building on his successful tenure in the coming years.”

Sir John will join the board as a non-executive director on January 1, 2013 and then take over as chairman on February 1.

John Devaney has been chairman of National Express Group since April 2009 and announced in July his intention to retire from the board in order to focus on his other business commitments.

Tim Score, senior independent director, who led the recruitment process, said: “I am delighted to welcome Sir John as our new chairman. His exceptionally strong international track record and extensive knowledge of the UK transport sector meant he was an ideal candidate for the role.

“I would like to thank John Devaney for his significant contribution as chairman, in particular his critical role in turning the company around and establishing a strong base from which to generate profitable growth. Sir John will now oversee this next phase as we continue to deliver operational excellence while developing a new pipeline of opportunities across our portfolio in the US, Europe and North Africa to drive medium-term growth.”

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