Kirby to leave HS2 to drive Rolls-Royce operations
HS2 Ltd’s Chief Executive Simon Kirby is to join Rolls-Royce as Chief Operating Officer.
Chairman of HS2 Ltd David Higgins said that Kirby will be replaced, with that process now under way. “While naturally we will miss his experience and leadership, I also recognise that he is joining a truly great, global company in an industry in which he has previously worked,” he added.
Kirby has been in his current role for two and a half years, having joined HS2 Ltd from Network Rail in May 2014. He recruited and shaped a team to build HS2 in two phases, with the first phase from London to Birmingham due to open in 2026. Higgins added that Kirby’s team will “turn HS2 into a reality that will be of lasting benefit to this country”.
Kirby said: “HS2 is not just a highly ambitious project, but also one which will leave a lasting legacy for Britain. I have absolute confidence in their ability to deliver the project and, in doing so, to help transform the way we do things in this country.”
Prior to joining HS2 Ltd, Kirby was Managing Director of the Infrastructure Projects business at NR. He joined NR’s Board in 2008, having been with the company since 2003.
Before joining NR, Kirby worked at VSEL, GEC Marconi and BAE Systems. He is also a director of the Major Projects Association and the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering.
HS2 Ltd has appointed Mel Ewel as a non-executive director. Ewel was formerly chief executive at Amey, and Higgins said of his appointment: “His great experience in the construction industry speaks for itself, as does the huge respect in which he is held. As such he will be a great asset to the Board’s deliberations as we move to the point of construction.”