Our board
You can find biographies of all our current board members below.
You can also find out to whom our board is accountable, as well as view their approvals and responsibilities. The board meets at least eight times a year, and the minutes are made available following each meeting.
Andrew Haines, chief executive
Appointed to the board: 2018
Skills and experience
Andrew Haines was appointed as Chief Executive and Board member of Network Rail in August 2018. Following the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in May 2021, Andrew was also tasked with establishing interim arrangements for the creation of Great British Railways, alongside his role in Network Rail.
Prior to joining Network Rail, Andrew was the chief executive officer of the Civil Aviation Authority from 2009-2018. He has also had a wide-ranging career within the rail industry, having started his career with British Rail and followed on to work for Railtrack, Network Rail’s predecessor. He served as managing director of South West Trains and managing director FirstGroup plc where he led the rail division which included intercity, commuter, rural, freight, open access and tram services in England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, he was a non-executive director at a rolling stock leasing company.
Andrew was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year Honour’s list for services to transport and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Institute of Railway Operators and the Permanent Way Institute.
Mike Putnam, acting chair
Appointed to the board: 2018
Skills and experience
Mike has worked across the development, construction and services sectors, and has been closely involved with the successful delivery of high-profile projects and programmes. He has over 25 years’ experience at senior management level.
Mike was president and chief executive officer of Skanska UK plc from October 2009 until May 2017. Prior to this, he was executive vice-president and director of Skanska UK plc and was responsible for leading first the infrastructure, and then the building and construction businesses. He was also involved as a non-executive director on several of the international Skanska businesses.
Mike is a Chartered Engineer and a fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Current external appointments
Non-executive director of TransPennine Route Upgrade, non-executive director of Bazalgette Tunnel Limited(Thames Tideway); vice chair of the Supervisory Board of Arcadis NV and a non-executive director with Finning Inc of Vancouver.
Jeremy Westlake, chief financial officer
Appointed to the board: 2016
Skills and experience
Jeremy was formerly senior vice president for finance at Alstom Transport in France, responsible for investor management, financial performance and control,and project finance. Previously he spent 14 years at Rolls-Royce in a range of senior finance and supply chain roles in the UK and the United States. Jeremy is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has a master’s in manufacturing from University of Cambridge.
Ismail Amla, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2021
Skills and experience
Ismail has lived in the USA for nearly a decade and has extensive international experience helping leading brands and disruptive start-ups leverage emerging technologies.
Ismail is the chief growth officer at Capita where he is responsible for driving sales, the brand position and marketing, Capita’s strategy for key clients and developing investment strategy for clients.
Prior to this, Ismail was the managing partner in IBM, leading the North American Services business from New York. Previous to this, Ismail was chief executive officer for the consulting firm Capco in North America and before that was a member of the leadership team for Accenture in the UK.
Current external appointments
Chief growth officer at Capita, and a board member at UK Sports and the board of governors at University of East London.
Mark Bayley CBE, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2020
Skills and experience
Mark has spent much of his career in the rail sector. He has particular experience in major projects, restructurings, and corporate finance.
Mark was chief executive of London & Continental Railways Limited, developer of the High Speed 1 (HS1) railway and owner of the UK arm of Eurostar. He led the sale of HS1 for £2.1bn and was a board member of Eurostar. Mark was also chief executive of the Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC). Mark’s interim work includes commercial director of High Speed 2 Ltd, and chief financial officer and board director of the Submarine Delivery Agency at the Ministry of Defence.
Mark was awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to the rail industry.
Current external appointments
Non-executive director of Ofwat; non-executive director of UK Atomic Energy Authority; and a member of the DfT’s Group Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
Stephen Duckworth OBE, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2021
Skills and experience
Stephen founded and ran Disability Matters Limited, a research and consultancy business with expertise in health and safety, sustainability and diversity with an emphasis on inclusive design. Stephen initially qualified as a medical doctor, and followed this with an MSc in rehabilitation studies and PhD in disability equality.
Stephen has over 20 years’ experience at board and senior executive level in a range of private, public and not for profit organisations. He currently sits on the boards of several organisations, has held numerous advisory roles to government, and carried out consultancy work with Southwest Trains and Eurostar.
Stephen was awarded his OBE for services to disabled people in 1994 and has been listed in the Power 100 of the most influential disabled people in Britain.
Current external appointments
Non-executive director of Palace of Westminster Restoration & Renewal Delivery Authority; trustee of Leonard Cheshire; trustee of the Rugby Football Union Injured Players Foundation.
Stuart Harvey, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2024
Skills and experience
Stuart has long served the public transport sector, having joined Transport for London as a signalling engineer apprentice in 1981.
During his time at Transport for London, Stuart has overseen the delivery of several major schemes, including the extension of the Northern line, Barking Riverside Extension and major digital signalling schemes.
As chief capital officer, Stuart is responsible for all enhancement projects, driving the capital efficiency progress and programme management office controls, as well as setting engineering standards and providing engineering and asset strategy expertise to the business
Current external appointments
Chief capital officer for Transport for London.
David Noyes, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2018
Skills and experience
David has spent his career working in the leisure and transport sectors. In a 20-year career at British Airways, he held various directorships, including director UK Regional operations, director Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa; executive vice-president North America and director worldwide customer services. Subsequently, until December 2017, David was chief executive officer of Cunard and P&O Cruises, and a director of Carnival plc.
David is experienced in leading devolved businesses in safety critical industries with a focus on delivering customer service excellence and driving cost efficiency.
Current external appointments
Non-executive chair of Grays of Cambridge (International) Limited; non-executive director of London Luton Airport Operations Ltd; and corporate advisory board member for The Teenage Cancer Trust.
Dyan Perry, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2024
Skills and experience
Dyan Perry has over 30 years of experience on the railway, having started her career as station manager at Peckham Rye.
Since then, Dyan has held senior positions including – most recently – chief executive at High Speed 1, with previous roles including chief operating officer for Govia Thameslink Railway and route managing director for Network Rail.
Dyan was the first ever female managing director in UK rail history and the winner of the outstanding personal contribution award at the 2023 National Rail Awards.
Current external appointments
Dyan sits on the board of Great British Railways Transition Team.
Fiona Ross, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2020
Skills and experience
Fiona is an experienced public and private sector chair and non-executive director, having served on boards in Ireland and the UK. Fiona chairs the Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), Ireland’s public transport provider and is a Board member of the HSE, Ireland’s public health service. Fiona is also a non-executive director at The Scottish Government.
Fiona began her career as a stockbroker in London and spent 25 years working in Capital Markets in Dublin, London, Eastern Europe and the United States. In 2012 Fiona was awarded a fellowship in Governance at George Washington University in the United States.
Current external appointments
Chair of Córas Iompair Éireann; non-executive director HSE Ireland; non-executive director of The Scottish Government; non-executive director JK Funds; non-executive director of SphereInvest (a UCITs fund listed in Dublin; and chair of the audit and risk committee of Smith & Williamson.
Steve Scrimshaw, non-executive director
Appointed to the board: 2024
Skills and experience
Steve has held multiple leadership roles within the energy and transport sectors over the past 45 years, and has worked domestically and internationally.
Steve retired from Siemens Energy in 2024 after four years as chief executive of the UK and Ireland business, where he led the company’s transformation as it navigated the complex energy transition landscape.
He was previously a member of the government’s Hydrogen Delivery Council and Green Jobs Delivery Group.
Current external appointments
Chair of the Department for Business; chair of the Trade Hydrogen Propulsion Manufacturing Taskforce; non-executive director of Windward Energy.