Go-Ahead announces Board appointment to drive UK and international growth

Go-Ahead has announced the appointment of experienced transport leader Louise Cheeseman, who will join the board of the Go-Ahead Group as a Non-Executive Director, effective from July 1^st.

The addition of Louise as a new Director will support the company’s strategic plan to grow its business within the UK and internationally, ensure greater diversity in thinking whilst also strengthening the Board with internationally recognised industry expertise and experience.

Since its acquisition by Kinetic and Globalvia over 18 months ago, Go-Ahead has acquired bus and coach companies across the UK, won major contracts to run franchised bus networks internationally, and built its market share overseas including the contract award for the renowned Stockholm Metro. It is the leader in the deployment of zero-emission buses in the UK with over 1,200 zero-emission buses, and is on track to achieve its plan of decarbonising its entire 7,000 strong bus fleet by 2035.

Louise brings a wealth of experience to Go-Ahead from her diverse career as an award-winning senior leader in public transport across the public and private sector. Louise began her career in rail operations working for Northern Rail and Arriva Rail. She led Hull Trains as Managing Director for over four years from 2017, overseeing a key part of the UK’s rail network. Her most recent role in the industry was as Director of Bus at Transport for London (TfL) from 2021 to 2024 where she oversaw the strategic direction of the capital’s bus services.

In 2023 Louise founded Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC), a national network created to encourage, represent, support, and retain women in the bus and coach profession. She remains Chair of the network continuing to advocate for greater diversity and inclusivity in the industry. Go-Ahead became a member of WiBC this year as it launched its highly regarded Go-Ahead Women campaign, aiming to achieve gender diversity by 2035, which commenced with a target of recruiting 1,500 women over the next 18 months and committing more than £16m investment for training women and investing in places of work.

Louise’s experience of delivering outstanding bus and rail services for customers, coupled with her knowledge of bus decarbonisation and commitment to gender equality will help Go-Ahead continue to be a leader in these areas.

Commenting on the appointment of Louise Cheeseman, Miguel Parras, Group CEO of Go-Ahead said “We are delighted to welcome Louise to her role on the Board of the Go-Ahead Group. Her knowledge and experience is unrivalled, and Louise will play a vital role in supporting our management team to deliver its strategic plan of growth, achieving our ambitious decarbonisation and equality targets, and most importantly, delivering on our mission of connecting people and communities across the globe, both today and tomorrow.”