Anne Shaw (pictured) has been appointed Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) after leading the organisation on an interim basis for the past six months.
In her new role she will oversee the delivery of existing infrastructure projects and some £1.3bn in investment over the next five years.
Anne, who started with Birmingham City Council’s transport department as a junior technician and worked her way up to Assistant Director, was previously Director of Network Resilience with TfWM, where she set up the Regional Transport Co-ordination Centre (RTCC).
The RTCC brings together transport operators, local authorities and emergency services to deal with disruption and deliver travel information to residents and businesses.
Anne also supervised the development of the Commonwealth Games Transport Plan, which will set out how the region’s transport system will handle the million or so visitors expected this summer.
Alongside West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Chief Executive Laura Shoaf, Anne was chosen last year to lead efforts to tackle violence against women and girls on public transport.
“It is a huge honour to be appointed to lead TfWM,” Anne says. “We have a fantastic team and have built great working relationships with our partners across the transport sector. I am relishing the challenges ahead as we look to improve and expand our transport system.
“This is not just about wheels and rails – our investment connects communities and opens up opportunities for people giving them easier access to jobs, training and leisure opportunities. It will also play a massive part in meeting the climate change challenge and helping the region towards its net-zero carbon targets.”
Cllr Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council adds: “We had every confidence in Anne when she was appointed to lead TfWM on an interim basis last year and she has more than proved up to the role.
“We therefore had no hesitation in making this appointment permanent – the region is in good hands going forward as we look forward to the Commonwealth Games, the arrival of HS2 and the further growth of our bus, tram, rail, road and cycling networks.”
