Alison Munro, the former CEO of HS2, is to chair the board of the National College for High Speed Rail.
Currently an advisor to the project, Alison was appointed as the chief executive of HS2 in 2009 and was with the organisation until August 2017.
Alison Munro CBE will head up a board of 13 industry professionals, including the current HS2 chief executive, Mark Thurston, and senior supply chain figures from VolkerWessels UK, Hitachi, Atkins, Rhomberg Sersa, Arup and L.B. Foster.
Two seats on the board are being reserved for staff and student members.
Alison said: “This is an incredibly exciting appointment. Having spent most of my professional career developing British infrastructure I am tremendously excited about developing the skills and careers of the people who build the next generation of British infrastructure.
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“It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to work with Clair Mowbray and the team on such an ambitious and inspiring project.
“We’re looking forward to making a significant difference to Britain’s railway sector, by boosting skills and preparing the future workforce for major infrastructure projects including HS2 and beyond.”
Clair Mowbray, chief executive of the National College for High Speed Rail, said: “Having Alison join our Board is a real coup for the college. Her experience from the early days of establishing HS2 to present, will be highly valuable in developing the college’s strategic direction for the years to come.
“With females accounting for only 9 per cent of Britain’s engineers and just 6 per cent of Britain’s rail workers, having a female chair is also highly appropriate; Alison is one of Britain’s most respected leaders for the development of transport infrastructure.
“She is an exceptional role model for the rail and infrastructure sectors and I’m sure that with her counsel and direction, the college will be on track to make a tangible and positive difference to this sector.”
