Veredus is a leading provider of Interim Executives in the Rail sector. This is the second of our Rail Transport Quarterly News, Reviews in 2014 and within this you can find a snapshot of some of the major news stories coupled with a review of the Interim Executive recruitment market.

1. Veredus is a leading provider of Interim Executives to the Rail
sector.This is the second of our RailTransport Quarterly News
Reviews for 2014 and within this you can find a snapshot of
some of the major news stories coupled with a review of the
Interim Executive recruitment market.
HS2 will revolutionise our railways, create thousands of jobs, bring major
cities closer together, generate investment in neglected areas and provide
passengers with an unprecedented travel experience – according to the HS2
website.
However, it continues to make headlines where it is often looking to defend
its plans such as inThe Independent recently where David Higgins said:
“HS2 is not just a fast train line, it’s about spreading London’s wealth.” This
was supported on a trip to the NorthWest by HS2 Ltd Commercial Director,
BethWest when she said: “HS2 will bring huge benefits to Manchester in
terms of creating jobs and redevelopment opportunities around the HS2
stations, making it an even more attractive place to work and do business.”
In recruitment developments HS2 Ltd continues to hire and has recently
appointed Jim Crawford as Programme Director – Phase One. Jim joins from
Network Rail where he was the major director for the £6.5bnThameslink
upgrade.
Welcoming the appointment, HS2 Ltd Construction CEO Simon Kirby said:
“Building Britain’s much-needed high speed rail network will be a major
undertaking and we need the best people to help deliver it on schedule and
within the budget we have been set. Jim Crawford‘s experience speaks for
itself but I know just how capable he is from our time together at Network
Rail working on the multi-billion pound investment inThameslink. I am very
pleased that someone of Jim’s calibre is joining us as we have much to do
between now and when we expect to have spades in the ground in 2017.”
TheThameslink Southern Great Northern rail franchise (TSGN) is awarded
to Govia the Go-Ahead / Keolis joint venture, Serco wins Caledonian Sleeper
and three rail unions launched legal action in a bid to overturn plans to
return the state-run East Coast intercity franchise to the private sector – it
has been a quarter of winners, losers and the soon to be decided.
Additionally, a hedge fund manager dodged paying £42,550 to South
EasternTrains over a period of more than five years where he systematically
evaded fares. He then returned the monies owed and remained anonymous
– some justice?
But first the news
HS2 project – recent news
Labour leader Ed Miliband is reported to be resisting pressure from trade
unions to renationalise the rail industry.The Labour leadership is said to be
moving towards a hybrid system, which would allow state-run bodies in
Britain to bid for franchises or ‘operating contracts’.
When the railways were being privatised in the 1990s, the Conservative
Government of the day refused to allow the British Railways Board to
bid for franchises in competition with private sector bidders, and the BRB
ceased to be a train operator in 1997.
Rail policy will be discussed by Labour’s National Policy Forum.The RMT
and other unions want the current franchises to be the last, simply ending
painlessly when the present contracts run out and therefore achieving
gradual renationalisation. However, new contracts awarded over the past
couple of months include a new 15-year franchise for National Express to
operate EssexThameside (c2c).
East Coast has been the focus of much of the lobbying.The Department
forTransport is progressing with the letting process with the intention of
handing over the operation to a private sector company before next May’s
general election, but the return of East Coast to the private sector is being
resisted vigorously by unions.The RMT has also been concerned that the
East Coast service specification could mean fewer services from Newcastle
and local stations in Northumbria.
Earlier this year, RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said; “It is
scandalous that the Government are prepared to give the private sector
vultures hovering over the East Coast route a green light to rip up the
timetable and to leave passengers and communities cut-off and stranded in
the name of private greed and private profit.”
“The campaign to stop Ministers from wrecking the highly-successful,
publicly-operated East Coast services in order to suit their own ideology,
and to line the pockets of their mates in big-business, will be stepped up.
After two previous private sector failures we have no intention of allowing
a third reckless gamble on the East Coast that would not only destroy the
best-performing rail.”
Renationalisation to be ‘resisted’ by Labour
www.veredus.co.uk
Rail Transport Second Quarter News Review
The NationalAudit Office has criticised the government’s handling of
two contracts worth around £10 billion that will provide 2,006 new train
carriages forThameslink and Intercity Express.
The spending watchdog has said that the DfT’s decision to lead the
procurement process for Intercity Express andThameslink, despite it never
having undertaken such a major rolling stock procurement before, had
“created confusion” about the department’s role.
In the case of the Intercity Express deal, the DfT decided that no other
manufacturer could offer better value for money, an assertion that remains
untested. However, despite this, the department took the decision to
proceed with a revised bid without rerunning the competition.
NAO criticises government over new contracts

2. Interview with Elizabeth Gilliard -
Interim Transport Manager
Veredus transport practice news
Contact information
Karen Camilleri, Head ofVeredus InterimTransport Practice is recently back
after a year out and we are delighted thatAndrew Fisher and herself, closely
supported by Fiona Grieve have joined together to make an even stronger
force.
This will provide us with further reach and help us open more doors within
transport.We are very keen to cross fertilise the various transport sectors,
bringing talent across from one to another resulting in a richer and more
diverse talent pool for our clients to consider, whilst challenging their
everyday thinking and providing them with food for thought. Roles we have
recently worked on include:
• Interim Head of Business Improvement - Rail
• Interim CEO -Transport Mobility Charity
• Various programme, project and property roles at HS2
• Project resource role atTransport Systems Catapult
• Customer Operations Director atTFGM
If you are looking to hire Interim Executives with real rail experience or
‘best in class’ experience from other sectors then we would be pleased
to hear from you.
Andrew Fisher
Director - Interim Management
020 7932 4228
andrew.fisher@veredus.co.uk
Rail sector contributes billions to UK economy
says new RDG report
The size and value of the rail industry to the UK economy are detailed for
the first time in a report published today by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
Prepared for the RDG by economic consultants Oxera, the report highlights
the importance of the rail industry to UK plc, showing how:
• The railway and its supply chain have an economic footprint of £9.3
billion, employ 212,000 people and pay £3.9 billion a year in tax,
offsetting nearly all of the £4 billion the industry receives from
government
• Rail services increase the output of the rest of the economy by as much
as £10.2 billion a year – equivalent to £386 for every household in Britain
- mainly by reducing road congestion and increasing productivity
• Travel by rail reduces carbon emissions by up to 7.4 million tonnes
annually and prevents as many as 950 serious and fatal accidents per
year
www.veredus.co.uk
ElizabethGillard is an experienced Interim Manager withinthetransport and
rail industry with a wealthof experience invarious roles acrossthe industry.
Elizabeth has kindly agreedto giveVeredus an interview and provide her
insight intothe worldof an interim manager withinthe rail andtransport
industry. Here is a summaryofthe interview,to readthefull interview please
see: http://www.slideshare.net/VeredusUK/elizabeth-gilliard-full-interview
1.Give us a briefoverviewofyour experience inthetransport industry;
canyou in particular mention afew highlights?
Transport is an industryfullofopportunity. I started as ateenage booking
clerkonthe LondonUnderground. I worked my way upto work withthe
DepartmentofTransport and was given greatopportunities; I eventually
becamethefirst woman andtheyoungest ever candidateto be a Directorof
a PTE.
I wentfreelance in 1998, working in rail, bus, strategic and localtraffic,
transport economics and modeling whilst learning anddevelopingtechniques
in social research. Ithen switchedfrom consultantto interim. I’ve hadtwo
interim roles withVeredus,one rail andone withtheTransportSystems
Catapult, bothof which I loved. Interim work suits me well as it requires high
energy levels and adaptability which aretwoof my main strengths.
2.As avery experiencedtransport executive,whatwouldyou say arethe
key challengesoverthe coming months?
The challenges intransport are strongly influenced bythe economic cycle.
We’re in an interestingtime at present,the recovery is already leadingto more
congestion, and we will needtotacklethat inorderto avoid high coststo both
industry and society.
3. In particular, givenyour experience in railwhatwouldyou saythe new
challenges arefor railfranchising?
The challengesfor railfranchising are largely inherent; managingthe massive
coststo bidders andtothe DFT; avoiding short-termism; creatingfinancial
systemsforvaluetransfer whenTOCs change, whilst lookingtofurther
encourage knowledge sharing and co-operation inthe industry.
4.Transport is a growing marketwith bigdemandsfor candidates.What
advicewouldyou giveto new interim candidates hopingto enterthe
transportworld?
Trustthe peopleyou’re working with,trusttheir judgment and supportthem
in making and implementingdecisions. Ifyoutrytooutsmartthemyou will
end up with eggonyourface, instead work withthemto effect change and
you will have a real impact andthey will wantyou back.
Karen Camilleri
Director - Interim Management
020 7932 4203
karen.camilleri@veredus.co.uk
Quarter 2
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