Nick Ellins has been appointed as the new Director of Policy at the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). With more than 25 years’ service in the water industry, Nick joins ATOC with extensive experience spanning utility policy and research, UK and EU regulation, commercial business management and consumer representation.

Nick is director of his own consultancy and has most recently worked with the UK water utilities to manage the 2010-12 drought and plan for future infrastructure resilience.

Prior to this, Nick served as Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Policy and Strategy for the Consumer Council for Water, the statutory representative body for domestic and business users in the water utility sector.

Before joining the Consumer Council for Water, Nick was the Head of Consumer Strategy at the UK utility policy and representative body, Water UK.

He is also a Board Director and the National President of the Institute of Water.

Nick will take up the post full-time in January, reporting to ATOC’s Chief Executive Michael Roberts who said: “I am delighted to welcome Nick as our new Director of Policy.
“He has an exceptional combination of experience, skills and vision which will help strengthen our work in representing members’ interests.”

Nick said: “I am very pleased to be joining ATOC at a time when Government is looking again at how train companies can be given the right operating environment to increase performance, use their commercial skills to best effect, and deliver what passengers want with a fair financial return.

“The rail system has played and will continue to play a critical part in the economic, social and environmental future of the UK, and I am looking forward to being a part of this important sector.”

Alec McTavish, who is ATOC’s current Director of Policy, will move to the newly-created role of Special Adviser, providing expert advice on a range of issues to the new Director.