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Leadership

Porterbrook benefits from a senior management team with unparalleled experience in the transport sector

Sir Adrian Montague

Sir Adrian Montague

Chairman

Sir Adrian Montague

Chairman

Sir Adrian Montague is the Chairman of Porterbrook, joining the Board in July 2020. Sir Adrian’s previous roles cover a range of sectors including transport, utilities, construction, energy and insurance. He was previously Chairman of Aviva plc, 3i Group plc, Anglian Water Group Limited, Friends Provident plc, British Energy Group plc, Michael Page International plc and Cross London Rail Links Limited. Sir Adrian is currently the non-executive Chairman of Cadent Gas, Thames Water and Kemble Water Holding Ltd. From 1999-2001 he held senior positions connected with the implementation of Government’s policies to expand the use of private finance in the provision of public infrastructure, first as the Chief Executive of the Treasury Taskforce, then as Deputy Chairman of Partnerships UK plc. Sir Adrian was awarded a CBE in 2001 and is a Law graduate of Cambridge University
Mary Grant

Mary Grant

Chief Executive Officer

Mary Grant

Chief Executive Officer

Mary Grant has been leading the Porterbrook team as CEO since 2017. She has overseen a strategic transformation that has secured key shareholder investment, pioneering railway innovation and sector leading global sustainability scores, underpinned by an award-winning people strategy. With over 30 years’ experience in the UK and international transport sector, including leadership roles at FirstGroup Plc, National Express Plc, ScotRail and Eurostar, Mary has a proven track record of driving business growth and delivering ambitious projects that break new ground to improve performance, safety and sustainability. Dedicated to helping the next generation, Mary is Chair of the National Skills Academy for Rail, a Patron of the King’s Trust, and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity to support essential services for underprivileged children and communities. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM).
Steve Ball

Steve Ball

Finance Director

Steve Ball

Finance Director
Stefan Rose

Stefan Rose

Chief Investment Officer

Stefan Rose

Chief Investment Officer

Stefan has 25 years’ experience spanning both debt finance and rail. He joined Porterbrook in July 2018 as Head of Structured Finance. In 2021 Stefan was appointed Chief Investment Officer. Stefan leads a dedicated team focusing on existing, new and emerging business opportunities in rail’s passenger, freight and infrastructure markets. Stefan’s team also includes structured finance and pricing.
Ben Ackroyd

Ben Ackroyd

Chief Operating Officer

Ben Ackroyd

Chief Operating Officer

Ben joined Porterbrook in March 2022 from Trenitalia c2c Limited where he was Managing Director. Ben has over twenty years of engineering, operational and general management experience in the railway industry having previously been Engineering Director at c2c and Northern, and Director of Midland Metro. Ben began his railway career as a graduate engineer at Angel Trains and became a Chartered Engineer in 2008.
Chris McClure

Chris McClure

General Counsel

Chris McClure

General Counsel

Chris joined Porterbrook as General Counsel and Company Secretary in 2018 from Shoosmiths where he led their rail team for 10 years. Chris has been heavily involved in the rail industry for over 20 years. He started his career as a banking and finance lawyer at Norton Rose. Chris moved to Blake Lapthorn in 1994 where he acted for two British Rail divisions in relation to their privatisation, vesting and franchising arrangements. Post privatisation he has acted for train operating companies (passenger and freight), manufacturers and lessors in relation to a wide range of projects including in relation to franchising, leasing, procurement, construction, engineering and infrastructure projects (including PFI projects).
Andy Pitt

Andy Pitt

Non-Executive Director

Andy Pitt

Non-Executive Director

Andy has over 40 years’ experience in the rail sector. He is currently Non-Executive Chair of Cross London Trains Limited, Non-Executive Director of HS1 and Non- Executive Director of Agility Trains East Limited. Andy served as a Non-Executive Director at Crossrail Limited prior to the introduction of the Elizabeth line services. Andy is also a former Non-Executive Director of the Transport Systems Catapult which promotes innovation and facilitates the development of new technology in the transport sector. Prior to this, from 1997 until 2012 he was a key Executive within Stagecoach and South West Trains. Andy led rail business development and franchise bids for Stagecoach and was Managing Director for South West Trains from 2009 to 2012. In his earlier career he worked for British Rail in a variety of positions and then played a key role at OPRAF that led both the first rail franchising programme and the specification of rolling stock requirements for the first generation of franchises.
James Bowling

James Bowling

Non-Executive Director

James Bowling

Non-Executive Director

James is Chair of the Audit Committee, having joined the Board as a Non-executive Director in December 2023. James was Chief Financial Officer of Severn Trent Plc from 2015 until his retirement in July 2023. Prior to joining Severn Trent, James was interim Chief Financial Officer of Shire Plc, where he had been since 2005. Prior to joining Shire, James spent nine years at Ford Motor Company in various finance roles of increasing responsibility. James is currently a non-executive director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Land Securities Group Plc, and a non executive director at Water Plus Group Ltd. James has recent and relevant financial experience as a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and as an experienced listed company CFO who has successfully applied his skills across a number of sectors, with broad experience in financial reporting, enterprise risk management, long-term capital investment models and a range of corporate activity, including M&A.