PRESS RELEASE

26 May 2021

THE GO-AHEAD GROUP PLC

("GO-AHEAD" OR "THE GROUP")

GO-AHEAD ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF CEO DAVID BROWN

The Board of the Go-Ahead Group plc ("Go-Ahead") today announces that David Brown has notified the Board of his intention to retire as Group Chief Executive at the end of this year after more than 10 years leading the business.

David has spent nearly 40 years working in the transport industry, including as CEO of London Buses for Go-Ahead London and Managing Director of Surface Transport at Transport for London before he became Group Chief Executive of The Go-Ahead Group in 2011.

The Board has a process to appoint a successor underway and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Clare Hollingsworth, Chairman of the Board, said:

"On behalf of the Board I would like to thank David for his strong and inspirational leadership of the Group over the last 10 years.  He has championed innovation and growth in the UK, led our overseas expansion and successfully steered us through the pandemic. David will continue to provide strong leadership to the Group to enable a smooth handover."

David Brown, Group Chief Executive, commented:

"It has been a privilege to lead the Go-Ahead Group and its 30,000 colleagues delivering over a billion annual customer journeys pre-pandemic.  I look forward to helping those passengers return to public transport in the next few months, which will be vital as we rebuild the UK economy and work towards ambitious climate change targets. I have thoroughly enjoyed my many years providing vital transport services to customers, communities and stakeholders, and I look forward to the next stage in my career."

ENDS

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GO-AHEAD

Go-Ahead is one of the leading UK public transport operator companies.  Our purpose is to be the local partner taking care of journeys that enhance the lives and wellbeing of our communities across the world.  Employing around 30,000 people across our businesses, typically over 1.2 billion passenger journeys are undertaken on our rail and bus services every year. In addition to the travelling public, our customers include governments and local authorities. We are committed to contributing to tackling climate change, improving air quality and reducing social isolation, and aim to run a zero emission bus fleet by 2035. 

BUS

Go-Ahead is one of the UK's largest bus operators. With a fleet of nearly 6,000 buses, we typically carry over two million passengers every day. We have a strong presence in London, with around 24 per cent market share, where we provide regulated services for Transport for London. Outside London, we principally serve high-density commuter markets, including the North East, Greater Manchester, East Yorkshire, East Anglia, South East and South West England. Internationally, we operate a bus contract in Singapore and two bus contracts in Ireland.

RAIL

The rail division operates two franchises in the UK, three contracts in Germany and one in Norway. In the UK, Southeastern and GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway) operate through our 65 per cent owned subsidiary, Govia, which is 35 per cent owned by Keolis. It is the largest rail operation in the UK, responsible for around 30 per cent of all UK passenger rail journeys through its rail franchises. In Germany and Norway, our contracts are run exclusively by Go-Ahead.