20 August 2014

David Statham has been appointed managing director of Southeastern, the Govia railway company serving Kent, south east London and part of East Sussex. He will take up the position on Monday 15 September and until this time will remain MD of First Capital Connect (FCC).

The Go-Ahead Group CEO, David Brown, said:

"I'm very pleased that after a comprehensive selection process David Statham will be joining The Go-Ahead Group. His commercial and operational expertise and experience will be a great asset for us. Southeastern is an important part of our rail portfolio and over the next few years we need to continue improving services for customers at the same time as being a key delivery partner for the Thameslink Programme upgrade work. David has proven success in leading complex railway change projects and improving customer satisfaction levels."

David Statham added:

"I'm delighted to be joining the team at Southeastern at such a critical time and am looking forward to building on the firm foundations laid by the current management team."

David has an extensive track record of leadership within the rail sector, having held a number of senior roles with a strong focus on customer service and major project delivery, most recently as the managing director of First Capital Connect.

Southeastern is currently discussing with the DfT a direct award contract extension until 2018. Southeastern serves 179 stations and carries around 600,000 passengers on more than 2,000 train journeys each weekday.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Govia is a joint venture between the Go-Ahead Group (65%) and Keolis (35%), two substantial and successful transport companies in their own right. Govia has extensive experience running complex and challenging rail operations, managing significant change programmes, and it has introduced more new train fleets in the UK than any other operator.

Govia currently runs three major rail franchises, Southern, Southeastern and London Midland, and has recently been awarded the new Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise, which will be the UK's largest rail franchise. Govia is already the UK's busiest rail operator, currently providing 28.7 per cent of all passenger journeys.

Established in 1987, The Go-Ahead Group has its roots in the North East where it was formed following de-regulation of the bus industry. Ten years later, with rail privatisation, the company entered into partnership with Keolis and began running the Thameslink franchise as Govia. It has run Southern since 2001, Southeastern since 2006 and London Midland since 2007. Go-Ahead has a turnover of £2.6 billion and some 23,500 employees.

Keolis is one of Europe's leading public transport operators, established in 15 countries on four continents employing 55,000 people worldwide. The group offers a full range of transport solutions around the world to meet the needs of local authorities and passengers. The company has a turnover of £4 billion.

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