Strategy
The next meeting for Strategy is on Thursday 19 April 2012
Chairman
Members
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Millie Banerjee
Ms Banerjee is no stranger to the rail community, having served as a non-executive director at the Strategic Rail Authority between 2000 and 2005. She brings to the BTPA her extensive experience from several non-executive appointments, including chairing Postwatch and Carnegie Trust, and directorship of the Sector Skills Development Agency and Channel 4 Television. She spent 25 years with BT and more recently served on the board of Ofcom.Aside from the BTPA, she also serves on the boards of the Newham Primary Care Trust and the Peabody Trust. Her appointment at the BTPA will be for four years from December 2008, with the option to renew for a further four.
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Patrick Butcher
Patrick Butcher joined the Board of Network Rail as Group Finance Director in 2009. He previously held the position of Finance Director at English Welsh and Scottish Railway (now DB Schenker) between 2004 and 2008. Before this he was Finance Director at Mapeley Ltd, London Underground and King’s College Hospital . His early career was at Deloitte & Touche as a management consultant and auditor. Patrick is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (South Africa ).
Patrick was appointed to BTPA’s membership on 1 September 2011.
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Neil Scales
Neil Scales OBE (member with knowledge of the rail industry) is Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, which incorporates the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority (PTA).
Under Neil, Merseytravel has been transformed into one of the best transport authorities in the UK, being recognised as PTA of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Merseytravel and its Local Authority partners were awarded a double ‘excellent’ from the Department for Transport for the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2006-2011 and for the implementation of the LTP for 2001-2006.Neil has responsibility for the successful delivery of transport policies across Merseyside, including the Local Transport Plan, across bus, rail, ferry and tunnel services, as well as the supporting infrastructure.Before joining Merseytravel, Neil was an independent transport and engineering consultant, carrying out work for the World Bank on various projects across Europe.Under Neil, Merseytravel has been transformed into one of the best transport authorities in the UK, being recognised as PTA of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Merseytravel and its Local Authority partners were awarded a double ‘excellent’ from the Department for Transport for the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2006-2011 and for the implementation of the LTP for 2001-2006.
Neil has responsibility for the successful delivery of transport policies across Merseyside, including the Local Transport Plan, across bus, rail, ferry and tunnel services, as well as the supporting infrastructure.
Before joining Merseytravel, Neil was an independent transport and engineering consultant, carrying out work for the World Bank on various projects across Europe.
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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.
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Jeroen Weimar
Jeroen has been Managing Director of Serco’s UK transport business since March 2010. His responsibilities include the National Traffic Control Centre, the Docklands Light Railway, national motorway traffic infrastructure services, the installation and maintenance of road safety cameras throughout the UK and Serco’s joint ventures with NedRailways that operate Merseyrail and Northern Rail.He was previously Chief Operating Officer, Surface Transport at Transport for London, a position he assumed in January 2007. At TfL his responsibilities included transport policing and community safety, regulation and licensing of taxi and private hire industry, congestion charging operations and implementation of the Low Emission Zone, civil traffic enforcement across London’s major road network and revenue protection on London’s bus network.
At BTPA, he is an industry representative responsible for improving relationships between the rail industry and BTP, and delivering efficiencies across BTP.
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Millie Banerjee
Ms Banerjee is no stranger to the rail community, having served as a non-executive director at the Strategic Rail Authority between 2000 and 2005. She brings to the BTPA her extensive experience from several non-executive appointments, including chairing Postwatch and Carnegie Trust, and directorship of the Sector Skills Development Agency and Channel 4 Television. She spent 25 years with BT and more recently served on the board of Ofcom.Aside from the BTPA, she also serves on the boards of the Newham Primary Care Trust and the Peabody Trust. Her appointment at the BTPA will be for four years from December 2008, with the option to renew for a further four.
-
Patrick Butcher
Patrick Butcher joined the Board of Network Rail as Group Finance Director in 2009. He previously held the position of Finance Director at English Welsh and Scottish Railway (now DB Schenker) between 2004 and 2008. Before this he was Finance Director at Mapeley Ltd, London Underground and King’s College Hospital . His early career was at Deloitte & Touche as a management consultant and auditor. Patrick is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (South Africa ).
Patrick was appointed to BTPA’s membership on 1 September 2011.
-
Neil Scales
Neil Scales OBE (member with knowledge of the rail industry) is Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, which incorporates the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority (PTA).
Under Neil, Merseytravel has been transformed into one of the best transport authorities in the UK, being recognised as PTA of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Merseytravel and its Local Authority partners were awarded a double ‘excellent’ from the Department for Transport for the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2006-2011 and for the implementation of the LTP for 2001-2006.Neil has responsibility for the successful delivery of transport policies across Merseyside, including the Local Transport Plan, across bus, rail, ferry and tunnel services, as well as the supporting infrastructure.Before joining Merseytravel, Neil was an independent transport and engineering consultant, carrying out work for the World Bank on various projects across Europe.Under Neil, Merseytravel has been transformed into one of the best transport authorities in the UK, being recognised as PTA of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Merseytravel and its Local Authority partners were awarded a double ‘excellent’ from the Department for Transport for the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2006-2011 and for the implementation of the LTP for 2001-2006.
Neil has responsibility for the successful delivery of transport policies across Merseyside, including the Local Transport Plan, across bus, rail, ferry and tunnel services, as well as the supporting infrastructure.
Before joining Merseytravel, Neil was an independent transport and engineering consultant, carrying out work for the World Bank on various projects across Europe.
-
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.
-
Jeroen Weimar
Jeroen has been Managing Director of Serco’s UK transport business since March 2010. His responsibilities include the National Traffic Control Centre, the Docklands Light Railway, national motorway traffic infrastructure services, the installation and maintenance of road safety cameras throughout the UK and Serco’s joint ventures with NedRailways that operate Merseyrail and Northern Rail.He was previously Chief Operating Officer, Surface Transport at Transport for London, a position he assumed in January 2007. At TfL his responsibilities included transport policing and community safety, regulation and licensing of taxi and private hire industry, congestion charging operations and implementation of the Low Emission Zone, civil traffic enforcement across London’s major road network and revenue protection on London’s bus network.
At BTPA, he is an industry representative responsible for improving relationships between the rail industry and BTP, and delivering efficiencies across BTP.

