Ed Wills has been appointed Managing Director of Go South Coast.
He will succeed Ben Murray, who had been Interim MD since the death of Andrew Wickham MBE in May, parent company Go-Ahead announced.
Continuing a long stint with the group, he was most recently MD at Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus, a role he had held since 2021.
Mr Wills, who began his career as a trainee at Southern Vectis, will return to Go South Coast after serving as Operations Director there from 2010-2018.
He has also been MD for Go-Ahead Ireland and for Bus Commercial Development at Go-Ahead Group.
During his tenure at Brighton and Hove, he is credited by Go-Ahead with overseeing encouraging growth and leading the highest standards of accessibility. The operator has achieved “exceptional customer service” and has the largest fleet of hydrogen buses in the UK, it says.
Martin Dean, Managing Director, UK Regional Bus, Go-Ahead Group, says: “Ed is an outstanding leader with deep operational expertise and a strong commitment to innovation and customer service.
“His experience across the Group, both in the UK and Ireland, makes him the ideal person to lead Go South Coast into its next chapter.
“I’d also like to thank Ben for his leadership of Go South Coast over recent months at a difficult time for the company following Andrew’s passing and once again pay tribute to Andrew whose contribution to the industry and the development of Go South Coast was truly remarkable.”
Mr Murray will return to his role of Finance Director at Go South Coast when the new MD arrives in January.
Mr Wills adds: “It’s a privilege to return to Go South Coast and lead such a talented team.
“I look forward to building on Andrew’s legacy and working with our partners to deliver safe, reliable, and accessible services for our stakeholders and customers across the region.”
