Arriva Group appoints new management board member

Arriva Group is announcing the appointment of Chris Hardy to its management board as Group Business Development Director, effective from September 30th.

Chris joins Arriva having spent 11 years at Mobico (formerly National Express Plc) where he was Managing Director of the Coach Division and prior to that Group Commercial Director. Chris’ extensive experience in the transport sector will be valuable to Arriva at a time when it’s looking to grow across Europe.

Mike Cooper, Arriva Group CEO said: “This is an important appointment for the execution of our strategy and I’m looking forward to welcoming Chris to the leadership team. We will benefit from the wealth of experience he brings with him to Arriva as we look to grow our business and consolidate our position as one of Europe’s leading passenger transport companies.  We have a strong ambition for this company and Chris will be an instrumental addition to the management board at a critical point in our journey”.

Prior to his time at Mobico, Chris worked at KPMG, developing a strong corporate finance background.  He has proven experience in international transport market development and has led a number of successful businesses. Chris gained a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University.

Chris’s appointment comes following Arriva’s acquisition by I Squared Capital – a leading independent global infrastructure investment manager.  Passenger transport plays a vital role in society, connecting communities and facilitating economic growth, while reducing carbon emissions and congestion.  Arriva intends to be at the heart of this agenda working alongside transport authorities across Europe to create the right conditions to grow usage and work towards fleet decarbonisation.

 About Arriva Group:

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 34,400 people and delivering around 1.6 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into four business units: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.