This working group reviews British Transport Police’s recent performance. Please note that as this is an informal working group, its meetings are not open to the public.
Performance Review
Chairman
Members
-
Howard Collins
Howard Collins has been a BTPA member with knowledge of rail industry affairs since September 2009. He became Chief Operating Officer of London Underground in March 2009, taking place at the head of a team of 12,500 staff. He has more than 30 years of experience in public transport including buses and the Docklands Light Railway, and has worked in almost every operational role within London Underground. He is also on the board of the London Transport Museum.
-
Elizabeth France
As well as being a member of the Authority, Elizabeth France is Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, which runs LeO (the Legal Ombudsman service); Chair of the UK Public Affairs Council; Vice President of Aberystwyth University and a member of the General Assembly of Manchester University.Until 1 July 2009 Elizabeth was Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Service Ltd., which provided the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service (Otelo), the Energy Ombudsman Service and the Surveyors Ombudsman Service. She was a Non Executive Director of the Serious Organised Crime Agency from 2005-2010.
Elizabeth began her career in the Home Office, resigning to become the Data Protection Registrar in September 1994 and becoming Information Commissioner in January 2001.
Elizabeth has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of De Montfort, Loughborough and Bradford and is a Fellow of Aberystwyth University. In June 2002 she was awarded a CBE, for services to data protection.
-
Michael Holden
Michael Holden has extensive experience in managing railways and railway projects within the UK and Europe. He started his early career with British Rail as a Traffic Student in 1978, progressing through a variety of local management roles in different regions to become Divisional Operations Manager for the South West Division of Network South East. In 1994 he joined the newly created Railtrack as Production Manager for the South West Zone, subsequently becoming Zone Director for East Anglia and finally Regional Director Southern, transferring to Network Rail in 2002.In 2003 he was appointed Managing Director of Connex South Eastern, one of the UK’s largest and most complex train companies, and immediately found himself negotiating the transition from that franchise into a period of state ownership. He created South Eastern Trains and ran it successfully for a lengthy period until it was re-franchised in April 2006. During this time significant improvements were made in operational and financial performance, as well as in customer satisfaction, and new fleets of trains were successfully introduced into service in difficult circumstances.
In 2006 he set up his own railway management consultancy service, Coledale Consulting, and has continued to run this. He specialises in providing strategic advice to clients on commercial and operational matters, and leading bid teams for franchise and concession competitions. His work has taken him to Scandinavia, Spain and Ireland as well as in the UK.
Michael is a non-executive director of East Coast Main Line Company, the current operator of the Inter City East Coast franchise, and is also a non-executive director of the holding company, Directly Operated Railways.
Michael is married with three children and lives in Woking, Surrey. He is a trustee of Railway Children, the voice for streetchildren worldwide. He is also Chairman of Railway Children Trading Ltd and Railway Children Ball Ltd. In what is left of his spare time he is a qualified judge/starter for the Amateur Swimming Association, Technical Organiser for Woking Swimming Club, and Treasurer of Pinewood Gymnastics Club. He is currently Chairman of Woking 41 Club.
Michael holds a degree in Business Studies from Portsmouth and is a Fellow of the Institution of Railway Operators.
-
Anton Valk
Anton Valk is Chief Executive Officer of Abellio Group, the international subsidiary of Dutch state-owned rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen. He started the company in 2002 from scratch with a small team; Abellio now operates the Merseyrail and Northern rail franchises in 50/50 partnership with Serco, and was recently awarded the Greater Anglia franchise starting in February 2012. The company also operates buses in London and trains and buses in Germany and the Czech Republic.Prior to joining the railways in 1998, Anton had a long standing career with many years of international executive directorships in new media and telecoms, building a reputation of creating partnerships through high level stakeholder management and successfully developing and operating joint venture companies. He holds an engineering degree at Delft University of Technology
Anton was appointed to BTPA’s membership on 1 September 2011.
-
Howard Collins
Howard Collins has been a BTPA member with knowledge of rail industry affairs since September 2009. He became Chief Operating Officer of London Underground in March 2009, taking place at the head of a team of 12,500 staff. He has more than 30 years of experience in public transport including buses and the Docklands Light Railway, and has worked in almost every operational role within London Underground. He is also on the board of the London Transport Museum.
-
Elizabeth France
As well as being a member of the Authority, Elizabeth France is Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, which runs LeO (the Legal Ombudsman service); Chair of the UK Public Affairs Council; Vice President of Aberystwyth University and a member of the General Assembly of Manchester University.Until 1 July 2009 Elizabeth was Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Service Ltd., which provided the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service (Otelo), the Energy Ombudsman Service and the Surveyors Ombudsman Service. She was a Non Executive Director of the Serious Organised Crime Agency from 2005-2010.
Elizabeth began her career in the Home Office, resigning to become the Data Protection Registrar in September 1994 and becoming Information Commissioner in January 2001.
Elizabeth has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of De Montfort, Loughborough and Bradford and is a Fellow of Aberystwyth University. In June 2002 she was awarded a CBE, for services to data protection.
-
Michael Holden
Michael Holden has extensive experience in managing railways and railway projects within the UK and Europe. He started his early career with British Rail as a Traffic Student in 1978, progressing through a variety of local management roles in different regions to become Divisional Operations Manager for the South West Division of Network South East. In 1994 he joined the newly created Railtrack as Production Manager for the South West Zone, subsequently becoming Zone Director for East Anglia and finally Regional Director Southern, transferring to Network Rail in 2002.In 2003 he was appointed Managing Director of Connex South Eastern, one of the UK’s largest and most complex train companies, and immediately found himself negotiating the transition from that franchise into a period of state ownership. He created South Eastern Trains and ran it successfully for a lengthy period until it was re-franchised in April 2006. During this time significant improvements were made in operational and financial performance, as well as in customer satisfaction, and new fleets of trains were successfully introduced into service in difficult circumstances.
In 2006 he set up his own railway management consultancy service, Coledale Consulting, and has continued to run this. He specialises in providing strategic advice to clients on commercial and operational matters, and leading bid teams for franchise and concession competitions. His work has taken him to Scandinavia, Spain and Ireland as well as in the UK.
Michael is a non-executive director of East Coast Main Line Company, the current operator of the Inter City East Coast franchise, and is also a non-executive director of the holding company, Directly Operated Railways.
Michael is married with three children and lives in Woking, Surrey. He is a trustee of Railway Children, the voice for streetchildren worldwide. He is also Chairman of Railway Children Trading Ltd and Railway Children Ball Ltd. In what is left of his spare time he is a qualified judge/starter for the Amateur Swimming Association, Technical Organiser for Woking Swimming Club, and Treasurer of Pinewood Gymnastics Club. He is currently Chairman of Woking 41 Club.
Michael holds a degree in Business Studies from Portsmouth and is a Fellow of the Institution of Railway Operators.
-
Anton Valk
Anton Valk is Chief Executive Officer of Abellio Group, the international subsidiary of Dutch state-owned rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen. He started the company in 2002 from scratch with a small team; Abellio now operates the Merseyrail and Northern rail franchises in 50/50 partnership with Serco, and was recently awarded the Greater Anglia franchise starting in February 2012. The company also operates buses in London and trains and buses in Germany and the Czech Republic.Prior to joining the railways in 1998, Anton had a long standing career with many years of international executive directorships in new media and telecoms, building a reputation of creating partnerships through high level stakeholder management and successfully developing and operating joint venture companies. He holds an engineering degree at Delft University of Technology
Anton was appointed to BTPA’s membership on 1 September 2011.
