East West Railway Company Limited RECRUITMENT OF CHAIR September 2020 If you require these candidate briefing materials in an alternative format, please contact Cadence Partners on +44 20 7947 4960 or email [email protected] WELCOME I am very pleased that you are interested in For the boards of our public bodies to the role of Chair for the East West Railway effectively serve the public, they should also Company. The Company is making significant be representative of the public. We need progress on the development of this vitally our public appointments to be open to fresh important infrastructure project, which will talent, expertise and perspectives, to help us not only create a valuable lateral link across better understand the needs of the people our country, but also provide extensive and they serve. That is why the Government is enduring economic benefit to the communities committed to making our public appointments and businesses in its ambit. more diverse in terms of background, life experience, gender and ethnicity. With the groundwork firmly laid, and all the fundamentals for success in place, you will I want our public appointments to benefit from be joining the organisation at a pivotal time. the strongest possible field of candidates. The work of national recovery following the That means we need more candidates from disruption of COVID-19 provides the perfect a variety of backgrounds who can bring their context in which to be creating a better experience and ideas to our boards. If you are connected, more prosperous and thriving new to the Department for Transport family region. The East West Railway Company or to public appointments, I encourage you to represents a new era in construction for apply and join a Department that is forward the UK, and I am proud of its ambition, its thinking and transforming Britain’s transport innovative approach, and its deep commitment system. to achieving benefits for all who live, work or travel on the route. I look forward to meeting the successful candidate. Chris Heaton-Harris MP Minister of State for Transport 2 ABOUT THE EAST WEST RAILWAY COMPANY The Secretary of State for Transport is and prosperity both locally and for the whole seeking to appoint a Chair to the Board of country: the new connections this line will the East West Railway Company (EWR Co) provide are crucial to the social and economic to drive at pace the Government’s ambition future of the region. to construct a new direct connection between Oxford and Cambridge, and EWR Co was set up to accelerate the delivery beyond. of the East West Rail infrastructure and passenger services, bringing faster journey East West Rail is a new direct connection, times and easing pressure on local roads. linking communities between Oxford and It aims to innovate, positively disrupt, and Cambridge, including Bicester, Milton Keynes challenge the status-quo, leading to quicker and Bedford by rail. Oxford, Cambridge and and more cost-effective project delivery, and the communities in between are renowned for an improved experience for passengers and their vibrant economy, educational excellence the communities it serves. and scientific innovation. They deliver growth 3 ABOUT THE EAST WEST RAILWAY COMPANY EWR Co is a limited company with a single • A more integrated railway, with better share in issue, owned by the Secretary of services for passengers State for Transport. EWR Co is an arm’s- length body (ALB) of the Department for • A major industry cultural shift Transport (DfT). The purpose of EWR Co is to be a force Established by the Secretary of State for for industry change, for the people and Transport, EWR Co will deliver: communities it serves. EWR Co’s role is therefore to be an intelligent client with the • Strategically relevant infrastructure, with expertise to integrate the “golden thread” clarity of purpose from desired outcomes to requirements, into design, through to delivered benefits. • Lower cost infrastructure, more quickly A single, nimble, focused, multi-disciplinary • New methods of funding and financing organisation is the most effective way to drive infrastructure this outcome. 4 ABOUT THE EAST WEST RAIL PROJECT The project is being delivered in progressive • New infrastructure between Bedford and sections: Cambridge is in early design stages, and they expect to seek legal powers to deliver • The upgrade of the section between this section using a Development Consent Oxford and Bicester was delivered in 2016. Order and expect to start major works in • Legal powers to upgrade the section 2025. between Bicester and Milton Keynes/ When all sections of East West Rail are Bedford was granted in January 2020 via complete, services will be able to run between a TWAO – major works are expected to Oxford and Cambridge in a little over 80 start later this year. minutes, serving stations along the way and connecting with existing north-south rail lines. 5 EWR CO BOARD AND EXECUTIVE TEAM EWR Co’s non-executive directors will work Simon Blanchflower CBE,Chief Executive with the incoming Chair to guide and advise the Officer organisation as it drives forward work to deliver a new rail line between Oxford and Cambridge. Simon joined EWR Co as its first CEO in The group’s broad range of skills, experience December 2018. His experience ranges from and perspectives is indicative of EWR Co’s the early stage development of Crossrail to the remit to explore improved and innovative ways innovative delivery of Heathrow Express and of working across the rail industry, and the DfT’s most recently as Programme Director for the ambitions for both the organisation and the £5bn Thameslink project. route. Will Gallagher, Strategy Director Anne Baldock An experienced non-executive Before joining EWR Co, Will was the Operations director who has advised several company, Director for the National Citizen Service Trust, charity and governmental boards. Previously the fastest growing youth programme in the partner and the global head of the Projects, UK. Will has spent a significant amount of time Energy and Infrastructure Group at international in senior leadership positions both within the law firm Allen & Overy LLP. public and the private sectors. Dyan Crowther Currently Chief Executive James Norman, Corporate Services Director Officer at High Speed 1 (HS1) and the newly appointed chairman of NSAR – the National James served as Finance Director Network Skills Academy for Rail – Dyan has over 30 Operations and Deputy CFO for Network Rail. years of experience working in the rail industry, He has a wide range of experience including including senior posts at train operators, Finance Director roles for an AIM listed support Network Rail and British Rail. services organisation. Simon Murray Coming from a long career in Ian Parker, Programme Delivery Director infrastructure development, spanning senior Ian is a chartered civil engineer with over 30 roles at Arup, BAA, TfL and Anglian Water years’ experience in the infrastructure sector. Services, Simon is an experienced non- Before joining EWR Co, Ian was MD of executive director, previously sitting on the Costain’s transportation division and previously, Highways England Board. for Highways England, led the A14 Cambridge EWR Co’s Executive Team demonstrates a to Huntingdon scheme through its development similarly broad range of skills and experience. phase. The final permanent appointments were made Simon Scott, Engineering Director in September 2020, after extensive and rigorous recruitment processes to find the right mix of Simon has a history of combining both technical vision, expertise and energy. expertise in engineering, future technologies and asset management with strategic and creative thinking in whole systems technologies, working on projects including Hyperloop One, HS2 and the Digital Railway, where he was the Principal Systems Architect. 6 ROLE PARAMETERS 1. The Chair will be responsible for the proper 7. The successful candidate will dedicate the running and effective management of the necessary time to promoting, influencing EWR Co Board (‘the Board’). They will and networking with key decision makers guide and influence the Company at a and stakeholders, in order to explain how strategic level, providing confident, clear EWR Co is delivering the vision and secure and consistent leadership. partner commitment. 2. The Chair will ensure that the Board is 8. The Chair will be responsible for reporting appropriately constituted, led and developed annually on performance, including that of as to secure the greatest possible long-term the Board, supported by feedback, including contribution from non-executive members. peer review, to the Secretary of State or as delegated, and sharing this with the DfT and 3. The Chair will work closely with and support wider Government as necessary. the Chief Executive and his Executive Team, both supporting and challenging 9. The Chair of the EWR Co Board is the Executive to lead and develop the expected to operate within the relevant organisation to ensure it delivers the vision standards and duties, including the Nolan for East West Rail. Standards, the Code of Practice on corporate governance in central government 4. The Chair will be accountable, through the departments, Cabinet Office guidance on Chief Executive, for the development of a Managing Public Money and other relevant high-capacity, high-performing organisation guidance. that is able to deliver across the full project lifecycle. 5. They will be appointed by, and lead EWR Co’s relationship with, the Secretary of State for Transport, his Ministerial Team and the senior official in the DfT who provides the primary strategic link to the Company. 6. The Chair will act as an ambassador for the Board and for EWR Co, helping to build and develop collaborative strategic partnerships that support and promote the vision for East West Rail. 7 CANDIDATE PROFILE NB: While candidates should demonstrate that they meet a majority of the following criteria to a high degree, the DfT understands that some strong candidates with diverse career paths and backgrounds may not consider they meet all the Essential criteria below.