UK: Network Rail’s senior non-executive director Mike Putnam has been appointed as Acting Chair of the infrastructure manager, replacing Lord Peter Hendy who has been appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Transport.
The process of appointing a successor to Hendy will begin in due course and will be led by the Secretary of State for Transport, Network Rail said on July 19.
Putnam is a chartered engineer and a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He joined the Network Rail board in 2018 and has over 25 years’ executive experience in the development, construction and services sectors.
He is currently an independent non-executive director of the TransPennine Route Upgrade, a non-executive director of Bazalgette Tunnel Ltd (Thames Tideway), and Vice-Chair of the supervisory board of Arcadis. He will be stepping down as a non-executive director of Southern Water Services at the end of July.
Commenting on his appointment, Putnam said, ‘Peter’s are big shoes to fill as I help to push Network Rail forward to address its key priorities of running a safe and better performing railway, whilst helping [Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines] to get the company, and the whole industry ready, for its journey into a new chapter with the establishment of Great British Railways’.
