HS2 boss set to join Rolls-Royce
The boss of HS2 Ltd, the company behind the planned £55bn high speed rail network, is set to join Derby-based Rolls-Royce as chief operating officer.
Simon Kirby will joins Rolls-Royce in the coming months in a new role which the firm says will “drive operational and financial performance across the business and to take responsibility for delivering the Group-wide transformation agenda”.
Kirby joined HS2 Ltd in May 2014 having previously been on the Board of Network Rail as managing director of its Infrastructure Projects business, responsible for the delivery of all enhancement and renewal programmes. Prior to this, he held various positions in the defence industry within VSEL, GEC Marconi and BAE Systems.
He is reportedly the UK’s highest-paid civil servant, earning £750,000 annually after joining in May 2014 from Network Rail.
Warren East, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, said: “I am delighted that Simon Kirby will be joining Rolls-Royce. His exceptional track record in delivering complex major programmes is highly relevant to Rolls-Royce and will strengthen management capability ahead of a period of significant expansion.
“We are doubling our production of large civil aircraft engines and substantially growing our nuclear division while at the same time driving a transformation programme that will make us a more resilient and cash generative business. Achieving operational excellence across the Group is essential and Simon has a critical role to play. I am looking forward to working closely with him.”
Simon Kirby said: “I am hugely proud to be joining one of the world’s great engineering companies at an exciting time in its development.
“Rolls-Royce has built strong positions in global markets and has exceptional prospects for profitable growth.
“The ability to deliver major programmes on time and to budget is essential, and I am looking forward to bringing my experience to bear on these complex challenges and to leading the current programme of industrial transformation.”
Chairman of HS2, David Higgins, said of Kirby’s departure: “Whilst naturally we will miss his experience and leadership, I also recognise that he is joining a truly great, global company in an industry in which he has previously worked.”
