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Friday 4 Apr 2014

Network Rail appoints new managing director to spearhead £25bn infrastructure investment programme

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Network Rail has announced that Dr Francis Paonessa will join the company as managing director, infrastructure projects this summer. Dr Paonessa is currently managing director UK, Bombardier Transportation. He will replace Simon Kirby, who leaves Network Rail in June to take up the role of chief executive at HS2 Ltd.

Dr Paonessa will lead Network Rail’s infrastructure projects division in its delivery of £25bn of infrastructure renewals and enhancements. The five-year investment plan involves thousands of projects around the country aimed at delivering a bigger, better railway enabling more trains to run, at higher speeds with more seats and better facilities at stations up and down the country.

Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said: “The scale and complexity of Network Rail’s investment programme makes this one of the most challenging and exciting roles in Britain today. Francis brings with him significant leadership experience from the rail industry, including a strong focus on both workforce and passenger safety. I would like to welcome him to Network Rail and know that he will continue Simon’s excellent work as we build a bigger, better railway for Britain.”

Dr Paonessa will be joining Network Rail from Bombardier Transportation where he currently leads the combined new build and services business in the UK, employing around 3,700 staff at eight Bombardier sites and 23 customer locations. He initially joined Bombardier in 2010 as president of UK rolling stock, where he managed the new build facility in Derby, manufacturing mainline and underground trains for the UK and for export.

Whilst at Bombardier, Dr Paonessa has successfully managed a range of large scale, complex projects, and led a major culture change programme. He has achieved a significant increase in productivity across the business and led the teams to win orders with Southern Railways, TfL and the £1.3bn Crossrail deal.

Dr Paonessa started his career with shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft in 1992, initially as a mechanical design engineer. He undertook a number of line and project management roles prior to his appointment as technical director and subsequently managing director of the Portsmouth Shipbuilding Facility. Prior to this he studied Aeronautical Engineering at Manchester University, where he also completed his PhD in Fluid Mechanics.

He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.