Translink Press Release: DRD Minister Appoints New Directors for Transport Holding Company - Translink

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30 April 2002

Regional Development Minister, Peter Robinson, today announced the appointment of four new Directors to the Board of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company.

Mr Ray Bentley, Mr Daniel Harvey OBE, Mrs Veronica Palmer OBE, and Mr Jim Aiken, have been appointed with effect from 1 May 2002 to serve for a three-year period.

Mr Robinson said: "I am fortunate in being able to appoint four such high calibre and well qualified people. I look forward to working closely with them and the other Board members in taking forward my proposals in the Regional Transportation Strategy for the future of bus and rail services."

"I also wish to pay tribute to the outgoing directors. Their contribution has been highly valued by the Holding Company and its subsidiary companies and indeed by all of us working for the improvement of public transport in Northern Ireland."

Mr Bentley, aged 54, who comes from Yelverton in Devon, was Head of Transport Services with Plymouth City Council until his retirement at the end of last year. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Transport and of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Mr Harvey, aged 59, lives in Belfast. He was Managing Director of First Trust Bank from 1994 to 1997 and subsequently held senior appointments with Allied Irish Bank and AIB European Investments (Warsaw) until his retirement last year. He was Chairman of the Northern Ireland Bankers Association in the mid-nineties.

Mrs Palmer, aged 62, lives in Norfolk. She was Director General of the Confederation of Passenger Transport for 12 years until her retirement last July. She is a fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport and of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mr Aiken, aged 51, is from Helens Bay, Co Down. He is currently Company Secretary and Director of Corporate Affairs of the Holding Company. He will continue in these roles and will now also become an Executive Director of the Company. A chartered accountant, he is a member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

None of the new Directors has carried out any political activity in the past five years. Mrs Palmer is an appointed member of the Commission for Integrated Transport and the British Tourist Authority. None of the other new Directors holds any other public appointments.

These new appointments will fill the vacancies on the Board left by the resignation of Miss Monica Wilson, due to other work commitments, and by the retirements of Mr Luke Hasson, Dr Maria Maloney and Dr Noel Stewart who have each completed two terms of appointment.

Mr Robinson said that he expects to announce a further appointment to the Board shortly. Mr John Freeman, a trade union nominee completed his second term of appointment at the end of April. The Minister is considering nominations for his replacement.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company was established by the Transport Act (NI) 1967 and has a Board membership comprising a Chairman and eight other Directors, appointed by the Minister for Regional Development. NITHC responsibilities include holding and managing property assets and the oversight, in terms of support, control and supervision, of its subsidiary companies, Ulsterbus, Citybus (now Metro) and Northern Ireland Railways, trading jointly as Translink.
2. The out-going Directors, Dr Noel Stewart and Mr Luke Hasson have been members of the NITHC Board since 1 November 1995 and Miss Monica Wilson, Chief Executive of Disability Action, served as a member from 1 May 1996 until her resignation. Mr John Freeman and Dr Maria Maloney will complete the second term of their three-year appointment at the end of April 2002.
3. Non-Executive Directors receive a remuneration of £10,290 per annum. Executive Directors do not receive any remuneration in addition to their salaries.
4. The new Directors will have a significant role to play at the overall strategic and corporate level in promoting and delivering public transport within the context of the Regional Transportation Strategy.
5. Major projects facing NITHC include procurement of 23 new three-car train sets to replace obsolete railway rolling stock; the relay of the Belfast to Bangor and Belfast to Whitehead railway lines; development of new policies and procedures to enhance railway safety; progressing a programme of bus station construction and improvement to bus services; and the introduction of new integrated fares and ticketing systems for buses and railways. In addition, consideration is being given to the involvement of public private partnerships in the provision of bus and rail services.

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