Former Alexander Dennis Chief Executive Officer Colin Robertson has been appointed Chair of the board of NFI Group, which purchased the Larbert-headquartered bus builder for £320 million in May 2019.
Mr Robertson was previously Vice-Chair of the NFI board. In becoming Chair, he succeeds Chan Galbato, who has stepped down to pursue other opportunities. Mr Robertson also chairs the NFI Group operations and technology committee.
As a member of the NFI board since 2020, Mr Robertson has over 30 years’ experience in global manufacturing and leadership. He served as Alexander Dennis CEO for 13 of those before handing over leadership to current President and Managing Director Paul Davies around a year after the sale was completed.
Prior to joining Alexander Dennis, Mr Robertson held senior positions with Cummins and with lifting and material handling equipment manufacturer Terex.
During his time with Alexander Dennis, he drove turnover from £178 million to reach £631 million in 2018. He also led strong international growth, work that included the formation of an earlier joint venture with NFI Group to sell the original Enviro200 as the New Flyer MiDi in North America.
Besides Alexander Dennis, NFI Group manufactures coaches and buses under multiple other brands including New Flyer for heavy-duty transit buses in the North American market, MCI for coaches, and ARBOC for ‘cutaway’ and medium-duty buses.
Speaking about the group’s prospects, Mr Robertson says: “NFI is uniquely positioned to capitalise on compelling market opportunities as it advances its leadership in bus and coach technology, manufacturing, and aftermarket services.
“The company is poised to deliver significant value creation, and I look forward to working closely with my fellow directors and the leadership team as we drive NFI forward.”
