Chris Burchell, managing director of Arriva Trains, is to leave the rail industry in mid-October to take up a role in the energy sector.
After six years at Arriva, he will become the new managing director of distribution at SSE.
David Brown, who has worked across all modes of transport in both the public and the private sectors, will take on the managing director role on an interim basis. David has held prominent leadership roles in the industry, including as chief executive at Transport for the North, Chief Executive at Merseytravel, and more recently as managing director of Northern Rail and then as Arriva’s group communications director.
During the past six years, Chris has been instrumental in successfully leading the UK Trains division, securing some important contract wins, including the London Overground contract, and presiding over significant increases in passenger satisfaction scores and strong punctuality performance at Grand Central, Chiltern and CrossCountry.
