National Express is pleased to announce the appointment of Sir John Armitt as Chairman, with effect from 1 February 2013. Sir John has an exceptional track record of leadership in international construction, civil engineering and transport, both in the public and private sectors, most recently as Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Sir John is currently Deputy Chairman of Berkeley Group and is a member of the Transport for London Board. He was Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council until 31 March 2012. From 2001 to 2007 he was Chief Executive of Network Rail and its predecessor, Railtrack. In 1997 he was appointed as Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001. Before this he was Chief Executive of Union Railways, the company responsible for development of the high speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link and previously spent 27 years at John Laing plc rising to become Chairman of the Laing International and Civil Engineering Divisions.

Sir John will initially join the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 January 2013 and then take over as Chairman on 1 February. Sir John will join the Nomination and Safety and Environment Committees from 1 January, before being appointed Chairman of the Nomination Committee from 1 February.

John Devaney has been Chairman of National Express Group since April 2009 and announced in July his intention to retire from the Board in order to focus on his other business commitments.

Tim Score, Senior Independent Director, who led the recruitment process, said: “I am delighted to welcome Sir John as our new Chairman. His exceptionally strong international track record and extensive knowledge of the UK transport sector meant he was an ideal candidate for the role. I would like to thank John Devaney for his significant contribution as Chairman, in particular his critical role in turning the company around and establishing a strong base from which to generate profitable growth. Sir John will now oversee this next phase as we continue to deliver operational excellence while developing a new pipeline of opportunities across our portfolio in the US, Europe and North Africa to drive medium-term growth.”

Sir John Armitt said: “I am very pleased to join National Express Group as its Chairman, a company that is respected internationally for the quality of its services. I would like to pay tribute to John Devaney for his Chairmanship of the business and look forward to building on his successful tenure in the coming years.”