Chris Burchell, MD UK Trains, to leave Arriva to join the energy sector

An Arriva Group spokesperson said: “After six years at Arriva as the MD of UK Trains and as a member of the Arriva Management Board, Chris Burchell has decided to step down and pursue a new and exciting opportunity with SSE – a FTSE 100 energy company. He will leave Arriva in mid-October and take up his new position as Managing Director of Distribution at SSE later this year.

“During the past six years, Chris has been instrumental in successfully leading the UK Trains division having secured some important contract wins, including the London Overground contract, and presided over significant increases in passenger satisfaction scores and strong punctuality performance, including at Grand Central, Chiltern and CrossCountry.

“Chris has always been passionate about the rail industry and, in his capacity as Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, has pushed for rail reform to ensure the railway works better for everyone.

“We thank Chris for his six years of dedicated service to Arriva and wish him the best of luck in his new role.

“David Brown, an industry professional with 25 years’ experience will be stepping into the role as Interim MD UK Trains. David has worked across all modes of transport in both the public and the private sectors. He 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 MD Northern Rail and then as Arriva’s Group Communications Director. We look forward to welcoming David into the role.”