People in the News - June 2009

Henry Chipewo has been appointed Acting Managing Director for the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, following the dismissal of Tazara’s former Managing Director Clement Mwiya in August 2008. Chipewo is Chairman of local transport consultancy Muhechi Enterprises and a board member of Tazara.

Dean Finch has joined London Underground PPP concessionaire Tube Lines, where he takes up the post of Chief Executive on June 1. Formerly Chief Operating Officer at FirstGroup plc, he succeeds Terry Morgan who moves to Crossrail as non-executive Chairman, suceeding Douglas Oakervee five months earlier than planned.

Luc Jobin has been appointed Exec­utive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer at Canadian National from June 1. Formerly Executive Vice-President at Power Corp of Canada, he succeeds Claude Mongeau who takes over from E Hunter Harrison as CN’s President & CEO on January 1 (RG 5.09 p54).

Richard Robinson has been named Managing Director of Heathrow Express. Joining from internet technology company Tickex, he replaces Brian Raven who left the BAA airport rail link subsidiary earlier this year.

Stephen J Gardner has been appointed Vice President, Policy & Development, at Amtrak. Previously on the staff of the US Senate Commerce Committee, he is regarded as an authority on transport policy and legislation.

Rick Haythornthwaite has joined Network Rail as a non-executive director. Subject to ratification at the company’s AGM in July, he will succeed Sir Ian Mac­Allister as Chairman. Non-executive Chairman of Mastercard Inc, Haythorthwaite was CEO of Invensys in 2001-05.

French Prime Minister François Fillon has named Philippe Peyronnet to head the working group negotiating the ?financing package for the second phase of LGV Rhin-Rhône. He will liaise with Claude Liebermann who is heading a similar group for Phase 2 of LGV Est Européenne.

London Underground’s Director of Strategy & Service Development Richard Parry took over as interim Managing Director on May 1, following the departure of ?Tim O’Toole.

Teófilo Serrano took up the post of President at RENFE Operadora on May 18. Formerly Director General of Railways for the Andalucía regional government and head of its infrastructure authority Giasa, he succeeded José Salgueiro who has become Director of Andalucía’s regional port authority.

Annette Jordan has been appointed head of the International department at SBB Cargo, in place of Edmund Prokschi who becomes head of Marketing & Sales. Jordan is succeeded as head of SBB Cargo Deutschland by Matthias Birnbaum.

Deputy General Manager of ISAF, Dan Cernisov was elected President of the Romanian Railway Industry Association (AIF) with effect from April 16. He was formerly Vice-President, and is succeeded in this role by Christian Serjannis, head of Rolling Stock at Siemens Romania.

Gustav Slamecka has been named Minister of Transport in the Czech Republic, replacing Petr Bendl.

Sbusiso Joel Ndebele has been appointed Minister of Transport in South Africa following the general election on April 22. Jeremy Cronin, who chaired the parliamentary transport committee, has become Deputy Transport Minister. Barbara Hogan has been named Minister of Public Enterprises, responsible for state-owned companies including Transnet.

On May 4 Merel van Vroonhoven was appointed as a Director of Netherlands Railways with effect from August 1. Joining the NS board alongside President Bert Meerstadt and Financial Director Marcel van Niggebrugge, she comes from ING Investment Management Europe.

P P Wijesekara took over as General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways on May 12. Formerly Additional General Manager, he succeeds Dr Lalithsari Gunaruwan.

Russian Railways has named Oleg Sergeevich Ulyanov as Director of its new High Speed department; he was formerly Director of the Moscow ?Division at the October Railway.

Formerly Director of Stations at SNCF, Pascal Lupo has been named Director of International Development and Director-General of SNCF International, succeeding Jean-Pierre Loubinoux who has moved to UIC.

Harmut Gasser has been re-elected as Chairman of the German independent railway operators association Netzwerk Privatbahnen for a further two years. Sven Flore of TX Logistik becomes Vice-Chairman, and Günther Alsdorf of Havelländische Eisenbahn continues as Treasurer. Other board members are Sandrine Bennebroek of ERS Railways, Norbert Hössermann of Mittelweserbahn and Torsten Sewerin of Nordbayrische Eisenbahn.

Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Norfolk Southern Arnold B McKinnon died on May 18 at the age of 81. He served Southern Railway and NS for 50 years before stepping down as a director in 2000.