James Stamp named National Express Group CFO

National Express has named James Stamp as Group Chief Financial Officer on a permanent basis. He had held the position under an interim appointment since the departure of Chris Davies on 1 November. 

Prior to that, Mr Stamp was CFO for the group’s UK and Germany division. He joined National Express in 2017 as Commercial and Strategy Director, where he led work on the Evolve strategy. He is a qualified chartered accountant with 25 years’ experience in finance and consulting. Prior to joining National Express Mr Stamp was with KPMG, where he was UK Head of Transport and Global Head of Aviation.

Appointment of Mr Stamp as Group CFO on a permanent basis follows a selection process involving both internal and external candidates, National Express says. 

Adds Group Chief Executive Ignacio Garat: “James’s experience with the business, and the breadth of roles he has held within the company, give him a deep insight into our global operations and Evolve strategy. 

“He brings a highly complementary skillset to the executive team and will be central to the next stage of National Express’s development. James landed very effectively as Interim Group CFO, making an immediate impact, which I am delighted is reflected in the Board’s swift decision and today’s announcement.” 

Speaking about his appointment, James Stamp says: “National Express has an important role to play in the world, delivering safe, reliable, affordable, clean and high-quality public transport. I am very proud to have been appointed CFO and I am excited by the opportunity to continue working with Ignacio, the executive team and the board to deliver our growth ambitions.” 

Mr Davies departed National Express to take up the position of Group CFO with specialised technical products and services supplier Diploma PLC.