The former managing director of UK rail firm ScotRail Alliance has been named president and CEO of Metrolinx.
Metrolinx confirmed Thursday that following an “international search,” Phil Verster was selected to lead the transit agency.
Verster, who will begin his new role on Oct. 1, will be replacing Bruce McCuaig after the former president and CEO unexpectedly resigned earlier this year.
Verster holds graduate degrees in engineering and business and a post-graduate diploma in law and according to Metrolinx, has the “expertise” and “experience” necessary to help deliver the transit agency’s “ambitious agenda,” which Metrolinx says includes building new LRT lines and electrifying key rail lines to deliver 15-minute express service.
“We sought as our next CEO a person with deep domain expertise and substantial executive experience operating and building railways. There are few people in the transit and rail industry with the know-how, experience and executive skills to drive transformation and maintain service at the same time. Phil Verster is one of them,” Rob Prichard, chair of Metrolinx’s board of directors, said in a press release issued Thursday.
According to an article published by BBC News, Verster resigned from ScotRail in January amid criticism about the rail service’s failure to meet targets.
In a written statement released Thursday, Verster said Metrolinx is undergoing “one of the most exciting transit transformations” in the world.
“I believe Ontario is the place to be. Not just because of the very large scale of investment being made in transit, but because of the dynamism, optimism and quality of life that has made this region so envied all over the world,” his statement read.
TTC CEO Andy Byford, who worked with Verster in the United Kingdom more than a decade ago, says the incoming CEO will be a “superb leader.”
“He is smart, driven, good at delivery and gets things done. He will deliver both the projects and the change agenda for Metrolinx and GO,” Byford said in a written statement.
“I very much look forward to working with him as our partner at the TTC.“
