Management

Alistair Gordon

Chief Executive Officer

Alistair Gordon has been CEO of Keolis UK since 2010, having initially joined Keolis as Project Director in 2004.

His time as CEO has coincided with a period of sustained success for the company, successfully bidding for and operating some of the UKs busiest and iconic public transport networks including Manchester Metrolink, London Docklands and the Wales and Borders rail franchise.

Alistair’s success in the UK provided the catalyst for the parent company to give him leadership responsibility for the successful bidding of the Dubai Metro and Tram networks contract. He has subsequently added the Dubai networks to his CEO responsibilities as well as the metro operations of Doha (Qatar) and Hyderabad (India). Alistair’s responsibilities across the wider Keolis international business also includes, being an active Board member of Keolis’ rail operations in Boston.

He is also a member of the Executive Leadership team of the parent company, providing strategic advice and support to the Group’s Executive Chairwoman/Executive CEO.

Alistair graduated in Mathematics from University College, London, after which he joined Jacobs as a transport consultant. In 1995 he moved to Steer Davies Gleave as a consultant, where he we worked during the early stages of rail privatisation before moving to Eurostar in 1997, performing a number of key roles, most notably as its Strategy Director.

Sir Derek Jones

Chair

Sir Derek brings a wealth of experience to Keolis UK.

He served as the head of the Welsh Civil Service between 2012 and 2017 and has held numerous positions across Whitehall and the Welsh Government – including time at HM Treasury and the then Department of Trade & Industry – throughout a long and distinguished career in government.

Sir Derek is the Chair of Keolis UK and Chairs the boards for each of the company’s UK majority shareholding businesses, these are KeolisAmey Docklands (London), KeolisAmey Metrolink (Manchester) and Nottingham Trams.

Sir Derek is an independent adviser to Cardiff University, where he is also an Honorary Professor and Fellow.

He was formerly Chair of the Prince’s Trust in Wales; and a Director of semiconductor manufacturer IQE plc.

Sir Derek was appointed Chair of Keolis UK in 2019.

Virginie Merle

Chief Financial Officer

Virginie is a pro-active and strategically focused CFO and Board Director, fluent in English, with French as her native language. She holds an advanced management degree from a leading French business school and has 20 years of experience in a variety of finance and management roles, sectors, countries and working environments, including 15 years in the public transport.

Virginie has been the Chief Financial Officer of Keolis UK, Ireland and Dubai since 2020 in charge of Finance, Procurement, Legal, Compliance and IT. As a Board Director of nine companies and a member of the UK, Ireland and Dubai Executive Committee, she plays a pivotal role in defining and implementing the company’s business strategy. Before joining Keolis, Virginie led the finance team of one of the world’s largest Art Gallery networks, with businesses in Asia, America, and Europe. Prior to this she spent over 10 years working in a variety of finance roles for Transdev in France and the UK.

Virginie is committed to a strong team culture and positive working environment, to attain excellent outcomes from colleagues. She has always sought to lead and develop efficient teams, which actively engage with the whole business and its strategic goals.

As a business leader she has developed strong ethics and communication skills and believes in providing a sense of security for her team, by having clear expectations, but also being open to innovative ideas and encouraging individual creativity.

Virginie champions the idea that companies should have a raison d’être that brings value to local communities and the business itself. She is also committed passionately to sustainability and diversity issues both in the workplace and her personal life. Virginie is a governor at the school attended by her two daughters.

Marsid Greenidge

Communications Director

Marsid Greenidge is the Communications Director for Keolis UK and joined the company in 2012. He has over 20 years’ experience in the transport sector and his responsibilities cover both internal and external communications for the business.

He began his career as a journalist on local newspapers before moving into public relations working initially for the NHS. This was followed by senior communication roles for Transport for London, Southern Railway, London Midland and he more recently undertook an internal assignment as International Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Keolis Group in Paris.

Martin Baynham-Knight

Strategy Director

Martin Baynham-Knight has worked for Keolis since 2013 and has 20 years’ experience in the transport sector.

Martin drives the long-term planning and strategic development of Keolis in the UK; oversees the financial and strategic elements of bids, tenders, and acquisitions; and leads on certain risk mitigation activities.

Prior to joining Keolis UK, Martin worked as both a transport business consultant and headed a business and financial modelling team.

Martin has led or overseen the financial workstream on more than a dozen rail, metro, and tram bids for Keolis UK.

Richard Graham

Managing Director of KeolisAmey Docklands

Richard is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Docklands Light Railway in London.

Richard was previously the performance and development director of Keolis UK, a role which he had held since 2019, and was a member of the company’s executive team and Board. He was also on the board of directors for Keolis Amey Operations in Wales and Keolis Amey Docklands since the start of 2020.

Prior to this Richard worked in the United States for Keolis’ heavy rail operation in Boston – Keolis Commuter Services – where he was vice president for strategy and performance from 2017 to 2019.

Richard is a graduate of Oxford University with a master’s degree in engineering.

Chris Wright

Managing Director of Nottingham Trams

Chris became managing director of our Nottingham Trams operation in August 2022.

Prior to this Chris was commercial director for East Midlands Railway.  With almost 20 years in the sector he has amassed experience across a wide range of disciplines, which include technical, commercial and leadership.

Chris is a Chartered Engineer and has an MBA from Loughborough University.

Damien Chabas

Managing Director of KeolisAmey Metrolink

Damien was appointed as Managing Director for KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) in August 2023. He was promoted from his previous position In KAM as Director of Customer Experience.

Prior to joining KAM in 2018 Damien worked at Yarra Trams (KeolisDowner) in Melbourne, Australia, across senior positions in business strategy and customer services.

Damien holds masters degrees in international business and business management.