Fresh Challenge for Peter Huntley
03 April 2006
Transport consultancy The TAS Partnership Ltd today welcomed the news that its Chairman Peter Huntley is to become Managing Director of The Go-Ahead Group plc’s Go North East bus operating subsidiary. Directors joined in wishing Peter well in his new position, and confirmed that, as a result of the appointment, Peter would relinquish all executive responsibilities within TAS from 24th April.
Peter founded TAS in 1989, and was joined by directors Chris Cheek and John Taylor in 1994. Peter was Managing Director until 2003, when he became Chairman.
TAS Managing Director, Adrian Grant, said today: “A unique feature of TAS is the extent that our staff are personally prepared to work for real change through practical action. Peter has been consistent in his publicly stated views on how delivering high quality bus services can simultaneously deliver profitability and environmental and social objectives. He is now taking the opportunity to demonstrate his approach on the ground.”
“Peter had signalled his desire for a new challenge in 2004, and as a result we have created the opportunity for him to wind down his involvement within TAS since then. Meanwhile, the company has continued to expand. We recently appointed two new Directors and have developed major new business in bus, rail and local authority transport that has required significant expansion of the staff at our Preston office. We took over additional office space at the beginning of March to accommodate this and to extend our facilities. We have put in place robust measures to assure the continuing independence of all our client and project work.”
TAS Director John Taylor said: “It is a tribute to Peter’s contribution to TAS and the focus on staff development that we have an organisation that has been strong enough to handle the necessary changes in responsibility without this impacting on our clients. The practical values that Peter espoused are embedded in TAS, and we will continue to offer these to all our clients. Having worked with Peter for so long, I am confident that he will succeed with this new challenge.”
Chris Cheek added his good wishes, commenting, “Consultants are often accused of walking away when the going gets tough. Peter’s willingness to roll his sleeves up and engage with a new challenge in a difficult business is a striking example of the down to earth, common sense approach that TAS has brought to consultancy over the last fifteen years. We wish him every success.”
Ends
For further information, contact Adrian Grant on 01772 204988.
Notes to editors
1. The TAS Partnership was founded in 1989, and has since grown to become the UK’s leading specialist public transport consultancy. It has over 35 staff and associates and an annual turnover of £1.5m
2. Its recent clients include the Department for Transport, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Government, the Isle of Man Government, the Department of Transport in Dublin as well as local authorities and transport operators throughout the country.
3. TAS expertise covers both policy and practice development for bus, rail, light rail, local authority transport, community transport, health service transport and unconventional passenger transport of all kinds.
4. All TAS work is subject to our ISO 9001 registered Quality Management System, and is independently monitored with confidential client assessments of performance. TAS has Investors in People status.
5. TAS’ two recent director appointments were:
· Brian Cox as a Non Executive Director. Brian has 38 years experience in UK bus and rail operations, and is believed to be one of the few people who have worked in both the bus and rail sectors under both public and private ownership, as well as having worked for two local authorities. He retired from full-time employment in 2002 after 10 years as an executive Director of Stagecoach Group plc, where his final role was to head up the UK Bus Division.
· Paul Turner as an Associate Director, after working with TAS for six years, latterly as a Principal Consultant in charge of a planning team. Paul has become one of seven board members and has specific responsibilities relating to future expansion of the business.