The High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) has strengthened its board with the appointment of senior figures from Kier Infrastructure and Arcadis as it looks to influence the debate around the UK’s next generation of rail investment.
Mandy Duncan, Managing Director for Rail and Aviation at Kier Infrastructure, and Jonathan Sharrock, Senior Account Director at Arcadis, have joined the organisation’s board of directors.
Their appointments come as the rail industry faces growing pressure to demonstrate that major infrastructure can be delivered more efficiently and affordably, while the Government increasingly looks towards transport investment as a means of supporting economic growth, productivity and regional regeneration.
HSRG said the pair would bring additional delivery, commercial and policy experience to its work advocating for investment in improved rail connectivity across the UK.
Major project experience added to HSRG board
Duncan brings experience spanning rail, aviation, water and nuclear infrastructure and has worked across some of the UK’s largest infrastructure programmes.
Alongside project delivery, her experience includes supply chain development and maintaining the skills and capability required to deliver major infrastructure programmes over the longer term.
She said: “I’m delighted to be joining the High Speed Rail Group Board at such an important time for the industry. Throughout my career, I’ve seen first-hand the value that rail investment delivers by supporting economic growth, improving connectivity and creating opportunities for communities across the UK.
“I look forward to working with fellow Board members and the wider industry to help support a collaborative and forward-thinking approach to delivering infrastructure across the sector.”
Sharrock currently leads Arcadis’ work supporting Britain’s largest infrastructure project and previously spent 13 years at the Department for Transport.
HSRG said the combination gives him experience spanning both government policymaking and major project delivery, which will support the organisation as it develops proposals for future rail investment.
Sharrock said: “I’m delighted to join HSRG’s Board. My experience working on major projects across both the public and private sectors has shown me that successful delivery depends on a strong relationship between supply chain partners and project delivery teams, especially when navigating pressures, constraints and trade-offs.
“I look forward to contributing to HSRG’s work to help apply these lessons to HS2 and other major rail projects across the UK.”
Focus shifts towards how major rail schemes are delivered
The appointments come at an important point for advocates of new rail infrastructure.
With HS2 undergoing a major programme reset, questions around cost control, contracting, productivity and project governance are likely to play an increasingly significant role in determining the case for future schemes.
HS2 Ltd is already renegotiating major construction contracts and strengthening its commercial capability as part of efforts led by chief executive Mark Wild to regain control of the programme’s costs and timetable.
For HSRG, that creates an opportunity to ensure lessons from HS2 inform rather than inhibit future rail investment.
Huw Merriman, Chair of the High Speed Rail Group, said: “At a time when Government is rightly looking to infrastructure to unlock growth, the debate is no longer whether better connectivity matters. The challenge now is how we deliver the next generation of rail investment in a way that is efficient and affordable, while learning the lessons from projects like HS2 already under way.
“Mandy and Jonathan bring exactly the kind of delivery experience needed to help shape that conversation. Their expertise will strengthen HSRG’s work as we continue to advocate for new rail infrastructure that enables a better connected future for all across the UK.”
The additions broaden the expertise represented on HSRG’s board at a time when the industry is seeking greater certainty over the pipeline beyond existing projects.
The organisation will continue to make the case that future rail investment should be considered not simply in terms of infrastructure expenditure, but through its potential contribution to connectivity, jobs, skills, regeneration and longer-term economic growth.
Image credit: High Speed Rail Group
