Chairman, National Express Group

John Armitt was appointed Chairman of the National Express Group effective on the 1^st Feb 2013. Previously he was Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority from 2007, Chief Executive of Network Rail from October 2002 and Chief Executive of Railtrack plc from December 2001. He has extensive experience in the building, civil engineering and industrial construction markets. From 1986 to1993 he was Chairman of the Laing International and Civil Engineering Divisions, a company he joined as a graduate in 1966. From 1993 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of Union Railways, the company responsible for development of the high speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link. In 1997 he was appointed as Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001.

Sir John is also a Non-Executive Director of the Berkeley Group and an Advisory Board member of PWC and Siemens. He was awarded the CBE in 1996 for his contribution to the rail industry. He was formerly Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was awarded Fellowship of City & Guilds in 2008 and joined City & Guilds’ Council in October 2011. Sir John received a Knighthood in the New Year Honours List 2012 for his services to engineering and construction.