Miguel Parras

Group Chief Executive

Miguel was appointed Chief Executive of The Go-Ahead Group in November 2023. A civil engineer by background, he holds an MBA from Spain’s IESE Business School and he has 20 years of experience in transport, business development, infrastructure and finance

Prior to joining Go-Ahead, he was Chief Investment Officer of Globalvia, the Spanish infrastructure group spanning three continents. He previously worked at FCC, the Spanish infrastructure and utilities group, and as a consultant at INECO and PROES Consultores.

Matt Carney

CEO - Bus

Matt was appointed CEO Bus, with responsibility for strategic oversight of all of Go-Ahead’s bus businesses, in October 2023.

He was previously Managing Director (Australia) at Kinetic, the largest bus operator in Australia and New Zealand, where he played a key role in growing the company from a single airport transfer business to one of the region’s most respected mass transit operators. He established Kinetic’s zero emission credentials, rolling out Australia’s largest electric bus network powered by 100% renewable energy and delivered an expansive capital investment program preparing depots of the future
 

Patrick Verwer

CEO - Rail

Patrick oversees UK rail for the group, with a focus on strategy and business development, alongside his role as Chief Executive Officer of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Britain’s largest rail network.

He was born and educated in the Netherlands, starting his career in the Rotterdam Police Force and rising to senior officer level. He first came to the UK in 2003 as Managing Director of Merseyrail and has previously been the Managing Director of London Midland trains.

GTR comprises Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services in the south-east of England, accounting for nearly 350 million passenger journeys annually.

Aaron van den Berg

Group Chief Financial Officer

Kanwar Brar

Chief Digital and Information Officer

Kanwar leads the technology team at the Go-Ahead Group, which encompasses a broad range of capabilities for developing, delivering, and supporting technology for Go-Ahead's overall strategy, particularly through data Chand digital. 

He joined Go-Ahead in 2014 and has over 15 years of experience delivering IT initiatives in the public transport industry. Before joining Go-Ahead, Kanwar worked in the public transport technology supply chain throughout the UK. 

Kanwar started his career as a GIS software engineer and worked his way up to management positions in passenger information, fare collection, IT operations management, and cyber security.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Geography.

Martin Dean

Managing Director, UK Regional Bus

Martin is responsible for overseeing the performance Go-Ahead’s UK bus companies outside London, stretching from Devon and Cornwall to the north-east of England. With more than three decades’ experience in transport, he is also chairman of the bus trade body, the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

He was previously head of business development for Go-Ahead, where he was successful in identifying new business opportunities, both domestically and internationally which included leading the Group’s expansion into Manchester in the UK, Singapore, and the Republic of Ireland overseas.

Tania Holcroft

Chief People Officer

Tania is responsible for all aspects of our People function at The Go-Ahead Group – including Culture, ED & I, Talent & Learning.

She is an experienced global human resources leader, having successfully delivered multiple culture & transformational change programmes in various sectors.

Carolyn Ferguson

Group Company Secretary

Carolyn is responsible for all aspects of human resources at The Go-Ahead Group – including culture, diversity and inclusion, succession and talent development. She also works with the board to ensure best practice on governance, compliance and the group’s culture and sustainability agenda.

She has worked for Go-Ahead since 2001 and is a qualified coach and mentor. Formerly a Trustee of the Go-Ahead Group Pension Plan, she is also an independent advisor to Better Boards Ltd.

Elliot Laurie

Group Legal Director

Elliot leads Go-Ahead‘s in-house legal function providing support to the main board and to our operating companies both in the UK and overseas. He is also the Group Compliance Officer and is responsible for managing the Group’s compliance function (including data protection and whistleblowing matters).

Elliot joined Go-Ahead in 2009 and has over 25 years of commercial and corporate experience, both in the UK and overseas. Before joining Go-Ahead, Elliot was Group Counsel at Hanson, a then-FTSE listed cement and building materials company.  Elliot started his career at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills) where he qualified as a solicitor into its corporate department.

Elliot is a graduate of Cambridge University.

Daniel Lewis

Chief Commercial Officer

Daniel joined Go-Ahead Group in December 2023.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Daniel is primarily responsible for Go-Ahead’s growth strategy, covering M&A, tenders, revenue contracts and other commercial activities in existing and new markets. Daniel has many years of experience in the public transport sector, having previously been part of Kinetic’s M&A team, where he worked on several transformative acquisitions.

Gonzalo Velasco

Group Structured Finance Director

Angie Doll

CEO, Govia Thameslink Railway

Angie joined the railway industry in 1999 as station manager in Brighton, and has held a series of senior passenger delivery and strategic positions at Go-Ahead rail operating companies including Managing Director of Southern and Gatwick Express. Angie moved into the Chief Executive Officer role at GTR in September 2023, previously being their Chief Operating Officer – a role she has held since October 2021.

Her achievements include leading the UK’s first domestic high-speed train services at Southeastern, introducing a new Gatwick Express fleet and leading Southern to become National Passenger Operator of the Year in 2021. An advocate for diversity in the workplace, she has won the Everywoman Transport and Logistics Champion award and the Rail Business Award for Diversity, and she is a champion for youth employability.

Emil Eike

Managing Director, Go-Ahead Norway

Emil oversees Go-Ahead’s Norwegian rail business, which operates long-distance and commuter rail routes in the south of the country.

He joined Go-Ahead in May 2023, bringing more than 30 years of experience as a manager from the Armed Forces, the public transport and mobility industry. His track record includes 12 years at NSB, the Norwegian state-owned railway company.

He has also worked as a consultant advising transport companies on strategy, and he is Chairman of Bybanen, the light rail network in Bergen.

Nigel Featham

Managing Director, Go North West & Go North East

Nigel joined Go-Ahead in 2019 to transform our newly-acquired Go North West operations in Manchester. In October 2022, Nigel also assumed responsbility for Go North East.

He has a strong record of success in leading change at bus businesses across the UK, with his businesses receiving a reputation for growth and innovation.

Ben Gilligan

Managing Director, East Yorkshire Buses

Ben joined East Yorkshire Buses as Area Director in 2018 bringing with him extensive experience in transport forged over 16 years in the sector – 13 of which were with First Bus, including as the former Managing Director of First York.

Ben became Managing Director of East Yorkshire Buses in 2022 following a restructuring which meant East Yorkshire Buses became directly accountable to Go-Ahead Group.

Martin Jacobson

CEO, Flexbuss

Martin is the CEO of Flexbuss, which operates a variety of bus services mostly in the southern part of Sweden. These services include scheduled bus services, school transport, medical transfer and private hire.

He has worked in the public transport sector since 2013, upholding various roles such as business manager and regional manager. Martin joined Flexbuss as CFO in November 2020, and moved into the role of CEO in May 2022.

Martin sits as a board member in the regional department (Småland Blekinge Gotland) of the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation since 2013.

Leonard Lee

Managing Director, Go-Ahead Singapore

Leonard oversees our team of more than 1,000 colleagues operating buses in Singapore. He became Managing Director in October 2023, having previously been Engineering Director of Go-Ahead Singapore since the company began operating in 2016.

A Singapore citizen, he has a degree in engineering from Nanyang Technological University and an MBA from the University of Manchester. Prior to joining Go-Ahead, he worked for one of the world’s largest container port operators, PSA Corporation.

Luke Marion

Managing Director, Oxford Bus Company

Luke is a qualified Chartered Accountant who qualified with Ernst & Young and gained extensive commercial experience with Reckitt after making the move into industry in 2005.

Luke joined Go-Ahead in 2012 as Finance Director for Oxford Bus Company and its sister companies Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and City Sightseeing Oxford. Luke took on responsibility for the commercial activities of the business in 2014 and in 2023 was made Managing Director following a short Interim period from May 2022, following the secondment of Phil Southall to the role of Bus Performance Director at Go-Ahead.

Luke is passionate about decarbonisation and is also a Non-Executive Director of leading Oxfordshire social enterprise Low Carbon Hub, a role he has held since 2015.

Dervla McKay

Managing Director, Go-Ahead Ireland

Dervla McKay joined the Go-Ahead Group in 2023 as Managing Director of the group’s bus company in Dublin, Go-Ahead Ireland, which operates services in and around the Irish capital.

Dervla, from Donegal, has extensive experience in bus and coach operation in Ireland and England. She joins Go-Ahead from her role as Managing Director of Aircoach, which runs express coach services across Ireland, and she has held a number of senior roles within FirstGroup since joining as a graduate trainee in 2005.

Gavin Smith

Managing Director, Go East Anglia

Gavin has worked in the public transport industry for over 20 years, with experience in the regulated and commercial environments across the UK and Internationally.

Starting his career as a bus driver in London and then progressing through operational management roles across multiple London depots, Gavin worked across many projects including managing services for Notting Hill Carnival, depot moves with the development of Cross Rail and the successful development and mobilisation of Go-Ahead’s River Road depot.

This was followed by a 5 year secondment to Singapore as Operations Director for Go-Ahead. During that time, Gavin digitised operational processes, delivered improved efficiency and became involved in international tendering, leading to successful secondments in Australia and as a Project Director with Go-Ahead Group. Gavin was then offered the role of Managing Director of Go East Anglia.

His career has focused on improving underperforming operations, creating sustainable high performing teams and developing and mobilising new operations. In his current role he has developed an ambitious plan for growth and is leading the team on the path to delivering it.

Richard Stevens

Managing Director, Go South West

Richard started his career as a bus driver in Penzance in 1989 and worked his way up, being appointed Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus in May 2012. In 2020, the company expanded operations into Cornwall, with Richard managing both locations under the Go South West banner. He previously served as Operations & Commercial Director for Stagecoach South West, and prior to that was Operations Director for First Devon and Cornwall. 

He is the current chair of the Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, the chair of the Plymouth Area Business Council and chair of the Plymouth Growth Board. He sits on the Devonport Task Force, One Plymouth, the Mayflower 400 Leadership group and the Peninsular Rail Task Force. Richard is also a director of Destination Plymouth.

Andrew Wickham

Managing Director, Go South Coast

Andrew has held senior roles for Go-Ahead in London, the South Coast and Plymouth before becoming Go South Coast’s Managing Director in 2011.  A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, he holds a BSc in Transport Operation and Planning. 

Ed Wills

Managing Director, Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus

Ed has worked across Go-Ahead functions, including previously being the Managing Director of Go-Ahead Ireland and senior roles within the Group. He started working at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus in December 2021. Brighton & Hove sees the highest passenger numbers per head outside of London in the UK