Civil engineer Sir John Armitt will take over as National Express chairman on 1 February 2013.
This is in addition to his existing jobs as deputy chairman of housebuilder Berkeley Group, chairman of City & Guilds, and member of the Airports Commission that has been set up to advise the government on airport expansion planning. He is also leading a review of UK infrastructure planning, finance and delivery for the Labour party leadership.
As if this were not enough, he is also is on the council of the Institution of Civil Engineers and in line to become its president in 2015, when he will be 69 years old.
At least he relinquished his role as chairman of the Engineering & Physical Science Research Council earlier this year after five years in post and no longer has to worry about being chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority.
From 2001 to 2007 Sir John – plain Mr Armitt at that time – was chief executive of Network Rail and its predecessor, Railtrack. He joined there from Costain, which he had joined in 1997 as chief executive. Before this he was chief executive of Union Railways, the company responsible for development of the high speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link and previously spent 27 years at John Laing, rising to become chairman of the Laing International and Civil Engineering Divisions.
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