Stagecoach has announced the appointment of the new Managing Director of its Oxfordshire bus operations.
Former Manchester Metrolink Managing Director, Chris Coleman, is to take on the role in September, following the retirement of current Oxfordshire Managing Director Martin Sutton.
Mark Threapleton, Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director for England and Wales, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Chris to the UK Bus division – he has significant experience within the transport industry over many years, and we look forward to benefitting from his knowledge and expertise as we continue to develop and improve services for our customers in Oxfordshire.”
Chris Coleman began his career in British Rail in 1987 and progressed from front line positions through to senior management roles in Virgin Trains. This included the role of Regional Director on the west coast before being appointed General Manager (Customer Services and Commercial) for Stagecoach Group’s light rail interests in 2010.
In 2011, after Stagecoach sold the Metrolink contract in Manchester, Chris moved on to become Managing Director of Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd, a position he held until July 2017. Since then he has been part of the Stagecoach Rail team working on the Group’s rail strategy.
Chris Coleman said: “This is an exciting new challenge for me and I am really looking forward to working with the team in Oxford. It’s a fantastic city with a great bus network and I look forward to building on the work that has already been done, along with our partners, to deliver even better services for our customers.”
