Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
I lead rail and mobility businesses through growth and transformation. For more than 25 years I have held P&L, country and board-level responsibility across the Middle East, Europe and the Americas – building new businesses, scaling regional organisations and taking some of the world's largest rail programmes from bid to operation. Today I lead Deutsche Bahn's business in the Middle East and Africa, growing both the top and bottom line, and direct DB's role on the Al Haramain High Speed Rail. I work with the region's principal decision-makers, including PIF, the Royal Commissions for Riyadh and Makkah, Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia Railways, Qatar Rail, Etihad Rail and RTA Dubai. Previously: ⬙ Ferrovie dello Stato – CEO of FS Italian Railways Saudi Arabia; secured the Riyadh Metro contract and led its operational readiness. ⬙ Aecon – built the Rail and Urban Transit business in North America from the ground up; part of the Metrolinx GO Expansion win. ⬙ Alstom – full P&L for signalling across South Europe; board member in Italy and Switzerland ⬙ Hitachi Rail – delivered the Etihad Rail Stage 1 systems programme Boards and shareholders typically bring me in at two moments: to establish and scale a new business, or to stabilise a critical programme and take it through to handover.
The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group (aka FS Italian Railways) is a leader in rail passenger and freight construction and operations, with an 88% market share in Italy and 80,000+ employees. ⬙ Led the company’s core business lines, including engineering, procurement, construction, and operation and maintenance. Marked a significant milestone by securing a landmark order for the Riyadh Metro project, totaling €2.5B. ⬙ Managed the operation and maintenance readiness of the Riyadh Metro project with the Flow Consortium partners, Hitachi Rail and Alstom, overseeing the final stages of the construction and initial stages of the operation. ⬙ Served as the CEO of FS Italian Railways Saudi Arabia, the local entity, managing business development, commercial activities, and stakeholder relationships, such as with PIF and SAR. Delivered a tender plan valued at €1.0B and doubled the revenues in the first two years of service.
Aecon is Canada’s largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development company. It provides a full range of infrastructure and civil construction services to private and public sector clients. ⬙ Launched the company's Rail and Urban Transportation department, strategically driving order acquisition and revenue growth in rail, light rail, and metro sectors across the U.S. and Canada. ⬙ Senior bid member on the €9.0B Metrolinx GO Regional Express Rail win; led bids worth €7B+ including Broadway Line (Vancouver) and Sound Transit Federal Way. ⬙ Supervised rail design, construction, and system rollouts for key projects, including the Finch West and Eglinton LRTs in Toronto, as well as the Réseau Express Métropolitain metro in Montreal.
Alstom is a transportation company listed on the Paris Stock Exchange that develops and markets infrastructure, systems, signaling, and rolling stock solutions. ⬙ Managed Profit and Loss accountability for the system and signalling portfolio in Europe, generating several hundred million in annual revenue, leading 800 professionals across bid, project, engineering, installation, testing and commissioning. ⬙ Served as an appointed Board member for Alstom’s Italian and Swiss legal entity and drove business growth by facilitating the merger between Alstom and GE Transportation Solution
CRIT is a private company that supports enterprises such as Ferrari, TechnoGym, Datalogic, and Tetra Pack in their innovation processes through technology scouting and collaborative innovation boards. ⬙ Actively contributed to the Board's management and reviewed the organization’s goals and strategies.