David Brown joins Arriva as Managing Director of Northern

David is a prominent leader in Northern transport, with more than 25 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors across all modes of public transport. Prior to his role as Chief Executive at Transport for the North, David was Chief Executive at Merseytravel and before that, headed up South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and led the establishment of Rail North. David also spent more than 10 years at North West Trains.

From September, David will lead Northern’s 5,500 employees and deliver Arriva’s ambitious plans to modernise rail travel for customers across the North of England – providing an extensive investment programme with new and refurbished trains, extra services, a 37% increase in peak time capacity, and a variety of station and ticketing improvements.

David will bring extensive experience of transport across the North to his new role. Over the last two years he has directed the establishment of Transport for the North and delivery of the Northern Strategic Transport Plan. In doing this he has represented the North’s priorities in the development of a national transport strategy.

Arriva CEO Manfred Rudhart said: “David’s wealth of experience in the rail and transport sector, particularly in the North of England, makes him perfectly placed to help us achieve our vision of transforming travel services for our passengers in the region. As we look to strengthen our role in developing the North of England’s transport infrastructure, David will be instrumental in not only fostering the development of Arriva employees but delivering value for our customers and the communities we serve.”

David Brown said: "I'm thrilled to be joining Arriva at such an exciting time, with the opportunity to help transform the rail services of the north through the Northern Franchise. I am very much looking forward to leading the business and seeing that investment bear fruit through improved services, capacity and stations for passengers.”

Arriva already has a strong presence in the UK’s rail market. It operates the award-winning CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways and Arriva Trains Wales franchises and also operates the nationally-recognised London Overground concession and leading open access operator, Grand Central.