Gavin Smith has been named Managing Director of Go East Anglia. He replaces Jeremy Cooper, who retired from operational management in May.
Mr Smith joined Go-Ahead in 2014 and brings more than 20 years of industry experience to the role. As Managing Director of Go East Anglia, he takes responsibility for Konectbus, Hedingham Omnibuses and Chambers Coaches, which employ some 300 people in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and which transit around seven million passengers annually.
In addition to his new role Mr Smuth is currently Project Director in the Go-Ahead Group’s Business Development team. Between 2017 and 2021 he was Operations Director of Go-Ahead Singapore, responsible for some 400 vehicles and 800 drivers.
Before that, he oversaw the River Road depot in Barking for Go-Ahead London, and held roles in Tower Transit and FirstGroup before joining Go-Ahead.
“Gavin brings a wealth of operational and strategic experience, and I’m delighted he’ll be taking on the role,” says Martin Dean, Go-Ahead Managing Director, UK Regional Bus. “Go East Anglia is an important company within Go-Ahead and our strategy, The Next Billion Journeys, has set out an ambitious path for growth in the UK regional bus market.”
Adds Mr Smith: “I’m looking forward to working with the team at Go East Anglia, as we encourage people back onto buses following the pandemic. I’m keen to build on Jeremy and the team’s success at Konectbus, Hedingham and Chambers, which provide vital public transport links to communities across the region.”
