BTPA Chair Ron Barclay-Smith has been reappointed by the Department for Transport for another four years until March 2026.
Ron joined the BTPA as Chair in 2018, following a career in the Royal Air Force and a number of Chief Executive roles. Since joining, he has overseen the development and delivery of the Force’s 2018-22 Strategy, the recruitment of the Force’s first female Chief Constable and the implementation of the ambitious BTP2021 transformation programme.
As Chair of the Authority, Ron has also overseen a strengthening of the BTP’s Counter Terrorism resource, an overhaul of the Force’s estate with a view to drive down costs and increase efficiency, as well as negotiating Government funding to tackle County Lines criminality across the rail network.
Hugh Ind, Chief Executive of the BTPA, said: “During the four years of Ron’s Chairmanship, the BTP have delivered an ambitious set of objectives around helping to keep the network running, providing value for money and protecting passengers, the public and rail infrastructure from harm. He has also been a critical player in developing the Force’s new strategy for 2022-27, which will build upon the progress made so far.
“Ron has also provided strong leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, supporting Authority members and the BTPA Executive team during a time when we had to quickly adapt to more agile ways of working so that our Committee Meetings and approvals processes could still take place.
“His reappointment will mean another four years of robust leadership for the BTPA and I look forward to working together to achieve more successes in years to come.”
Ron Barclay-Smith is a former RAF officer, and is also a Member of the Regulatory Tribunal for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He has extensive experience in various chief executive roles in the legal and health sectors, as well as chair roles in the charity sector. Ron will Chair the BTPA Authority meetings and the BTPA Appointments and Remuneration Committee.