New Chief Executive of HS2 announced

APM Honorary Fellow, Mark Thurston, announced as new Chief Executive of HS2

The Board of HS2 has today announced in a press release on their website that Mark Thurston has been appointed as the new Chief Executive for the organisation.

Mark, an Honorary Fellow of the APM, is currently the regional managing director overseeing CH2M’s European and UK operations. He has spent the majority of the last three years leading CH2M’s program partner joint venture (known as Transcend) on Crossrail and will join HS2 in the Spring.

Mark has more than 20 years of experience in project and program management, working in both the private and public sectors on major infrastructure projects, particularly in the U.K. rail sector.

He began his career in the rail industry over 30 years ago as an apprentice with Transport for London (TfL), before fulfilling a series of roles with The Nichols Group, Metronet, and working for CH2M since 2008, on the London 2012 Olympics and Crossrail.

The Chairman of HS2, David Higgins, said: “Mark not only knows the UK rail industry from the bottom up, but has worked for organisations operating at the highest level globally. His grasp of how to manage the transition from page to reality makes him not only the right person to take over at HS2 as we are on the verge of Royal Assent, but also to see it through the years leading up to the first train being commissioned.

The challenge is huge in terms of the task and timescale, but the Board believes Mark has the knowledge, experience and leadership qualities to deliver the project within the budget we have been given and to do so in a way that recognises our responsibility both to Parliament and the communities in which we will be operating.”

On being appointed, Mark said, “HS2 is arguably the most important investment in infrastructure in the UK for a generation, which will serve businesses and communities across much of the country. I am looking forward to leading the HS2 team and its partners to deliver a railway that will transform connectivity between our major cities and regions.”