Stagecoach West has named Chris Hanson to take over the role of Managing Director on 1 June.
He will replace Elisabeth Tasker, who had been at the helm on an interim basis since the departure of Rachel Geliamassi, announced in January.
Mr Hanson had been Operations Director of Stagecoach West since August 2023. He started in the industry as a bus driver before moving on to leadership roles with First West of England and then becoming General Manager at First Cymru.
He will be focused on working with stakeholders and motivating teams across Bristol, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Swindon and Wiltshire, where Stagecoach has 1,300 employees at nine depots, catering for 36 millions journeys per year.
The business says that, during his operations role, Mr Hanson introduced a new training structure to enhance the selection of good driver recruitments and strengthened his team to boost the service offering to customers.
He says: “I’m really pleased to be taking on the role of MD and am looking forward to working closer with my senior leadership team to keep us moving forward with our ambitions.
“Communication is a key factor to leading the management teams to continue to always look for the best we can provide to our customers and challenging ourselves to always look to improve.”
Stagecoach Chief Operating Officer, Sam Greer, adds: “We’re delighted that our customers, stakeholders and employees in the West can continue to benefit from Chris’s deep understanding of the bus industry.
“We believe that thriving bus services have a critical role to play in local communities and the economy, so we look forward to seeing Chris’s people-first approach support a successful and vibrant local community.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Elisabeth Tasker for leading Stagecoach West over the past six months and wish her well for the future.”
