Introducing our Independent Advisory Board
Our Independent Advisory Board is a panel of industry experts who specialise in different fields. Their role is to provide unbiased advice and constructive feedback to the West Coast Partnership leadership team across both West Coast Partnership Development (WCPD) and Avanti West Coast.
For WCPD, the panel is involved at an early stage of our work to review our proposed strategies, assess the delivery of benefits, and input innovation into the process.
Nicolas Petrovic – Chair
Nicolas Petrovic is currently CEO of Etihad Rail Mobility as well as working as Board Member, Investor and CEO of Claret Associates – a new mobility business.
Nicolas was previously at Eurostar Ltd, where he held the CEO role from 2010 to 2018 after being the COO of the company for several years. During this period Eurostar started operating on HS1, the first high-speed line in the UK.
Before his time at Eurostar, Nicolas spent nine years in the High-Speed Train division of SNCF (French Railways) participating to the deployment of their high-speed network.
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Colin Foxall – Independent member (providing customer experience perspective)
Colin Foxall was the first Chairman of Passenger Focus (2006 -2015), introducing a consumer-based approach. He oversaw the watchdog’s role expansion to include buses and road users – thus becoming Transport Focus. At the same time, he was also a member of the British Transport Police Authority. Currently he acts as an independent adviser to FirstGroup on a range of issues.
In addition, he boasts extensive experience in trade, finance and international relations – leading projects in the UK and all over the world.
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Lucy Adams – Independent member (providing HR and organisation perspective)
Lucy Adams has held Board level HR roles in a variety of sectors. She was the People Director at the BBC where she oversaw the people move to the Salford site and was responsible for all aspects of employee relations, reward, training and development.
Lucy Adams is now CEO at Disruptive HR – helping organisations and business leaders bring their approaches to people leadership into the 21st century by offering new ideas and practical innovative methods that the more progressive companies are already adopting.
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Tom Harris – Independent member (providing political perspective)
Tom Harris was a journalist and public relations professional who worked for Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority before becoming an MP in 2001. He served as railways minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was a member of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee. Since leaving the Commons in 2015 he has established his own public affairs company. He is also a member of the Expert Challenge Panel supporting Keith Williams’ independent review of the British railway system.
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Hugh Clancy – FirstGroup member
Hugh Clancy is the Rail Division Commercial Director for FirstGroup, responsible for franchise bidding and providing support to the Group’s train operating companies with major contract negotiations and commercial strategy for the past 13 years. His prior roles include Commercial Director for First Capital Connect, TransPennine Express and First Great Western. Whilst at First Capital Connect, Hugh led much of First's involvement, as a Shadow Operator, in the development and implementation of the Thameslink Programme, with input into new trains and timetabling.
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Sir Richard Leese – independent member (providing transport, infrastructure and political perspective from the north)
Sir Richard Leese is the former Leader of Manchester City Council, a position he held for a long and influential tenure between May 1996 and December 2021. He also served as the first Deputy Mayor of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority from May 2017 to December 2021 – an organisation he was instrumental in campaigning for and establishing.
During this period Leese was heavily involved in a wide range if regeneration and infrastructure projects as well as local government reforms that have transformed Greater Manchester and the wider north of England, including the original devolution deal for Greater Manchester in 2014 and the expansion of Manchester’s Metrolink light rail network.
Leese has been a consistent supporter of HS2 and completion of the full route to Manchester, seeing it as a key catalyst for his wider regeneration agenda in the city.
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Mario Alovisi – Trenitalia member
Mario Alovisi is currently an Executive Board Member Trenitalia (CMO Trenitalia and CEO Italia Loyalty). He is responsible for defining the company’s marketing, branding and CRM and Loyalty Programs. Furthermore, he is responsible for their digital and eCommerce, on-board retail and partnerships strategies, as well as their revenue budget, forecasting and planning.
Since starting his professional career in 1999, he has held roles at several companies including Royal Group - Hotel and Resorts, Roma Formula Futuro - FG Group, American Express and Costa Crociere.
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Shamit Gaiger OBE – Managing Director, West Coast Partnership Development
Shamit Gaiger OBE boasts an extensive career in the rail sector; with previous roles at the Rail Safety and Standards Board; Director of Strategy at National Skills Academy for Rail; and at the Department for Transport where she led the Rail Sector Deal negotiations on behalf of the UK Government and was a Non-Executive Director for Passenger Services.
Before joining WCPD, Shamit most recently managed the Advisory Europe team at AECOM - an international infrastructure consulting company.
She also is the Chair of Trustees at Campaign for Better Transport and President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s (CILT) Railway Study Forum. Furthermore Shamit sits as a non-executive director of Women in Rail.