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First UK Bus sweeps the board at Transport Management Awards
Tuesday 16 June 2009
First UK Bus picked up seven awards at the Passenger Transport Management Awards ceremony held in London on Friday June 12th.
The prizes were presented at London's Tower Hotel by Sir Moir Lockhead, FirstGroup Chief Executive, and are seen as the most prestigious transport manager awards for the UK bus, rail and rapid transport industries.
The top prize was for Passenger Transport Professional of the Year, which was awarded to Mark Savelli, Managing Director of First in Glasgow. Mark has overseen a transformation of bus travel in Scotland's largest city over the last five years and achieved very significant growth in passenger numbers.
Mark was also awarded the prize of Passenger Transport Professional (Larger Organisations).
The winner of the Local and Operational Management Award was John Gorman, Assistant Operations Director in Scotland East. John exemplifies local and operational management in a career that has taken him from bus driver to Assistant Operations Director. He sets the standard for local operational management and is a terrific ambassador for First and the bus industry as a whole.
Matthew Wooll of First in Berkshire won the Marketing Award for a whole series of ground-breaking initiatives to grow the business, on local services, on routes to the vital hub at Heathrow Airport and on Green Line services between Windsor and London.
First's Learning and Development team picked up the Management Development Award for its Key Management Development programmes in the bus division. The judges were impressed by First's design and delivery of a strategic 'management development' intervention that ensured managers/supervisors effectively addressed 'the basics' to help return increased revenue/profitability and decreased costs.
Also rewarded for long and devoted service to the industry in the Unsung Heroes Award were two First employees.
Alan Bwye, First London: Alan has served the industry for the last 39 years, which have seen him rise from engineering trainee to his current post managing FirstGroup's largest and busiest depot in London. As well as his skill and dedication, the award recognises his very special skills in community relations – and particularly his work over nearly 20 years for the Notting Hill Carnival.
Winston Dottin, First London: nominated for his work to link the transport industry more firmly with the community. As a result of his efforts, the first ever Public Transport Workers' Service of Thanksgiving was held in September 2008 at St Clement Danes, one of London's most famous churches – which is now planned to be an annual event. In addition, he works for the Notting Hill Carnival. He has also served the industry for 37 years in an exemplary fashion first as a conductor and then a driver.