Aberdeen

New bus company director role means homecoming for Aberdonian

A born and bred Aberdonian has been appointed to a top role with city bus operator, First in Aberdeen " and cant wait to come home to get on with the job.

Duncan Cameron (30) will take on the role of Operations Director from Monday 6 April, following a 21 months stint as Operations Director with First Essex.

Duncan, a graduate of Firsts industry-leading graduate training scheme, has worked with First since 2001, and has experienced a number of different aspects of the business and in different areas " including a placement in Aberdeen in 2002.

Brought up in Aberdeen and a Public Policy and Management Graduate of Robert Gordon University, Duncan has been described as having a "bright future' with First, and this latest appointment is testament to that fact.

George Mair, Managing Director of First in Aberdeen, said: "I am delighted that Duncan will be joining our team " he is a young man with a terrific amount of potential and an impressive track record and is passionate about making a difference for our passengers and our staff.

"This is a great time for him to join our business with a number of exciting developments moving forward including the roll-out of the Almex ticketing machines and the opening of our new depot later this year. I have no doubt that Duncan will build on the achievements of his predecessor, Ben Gilligan, to ensure the success of First in Aberdeen and we are thrilled to welcome him home.'

Duncans move to Aberdeen comes after spending much of his time in the south-east of England. His initial placement with First was in Essex, followed by a short period in Aberdeen. He then spent two years as staff manager at a London depot, which was " in his own words " "the size of First Aberdeen'.
Duncans next move was back to Essex, where he worked in Colchester as operations manager for 18 months and then in Chelmsford for a further 18 months. In July 2007, he took up the company-wide role as Operations Director for First Essex, where he quickly proved himself to be a vital part of the team.

The move back to Aberdeen will not only give Duncan a chance to see more of his family and friends " and his beloved Aberdeen Football Club " but will give him a terrific opportunity to further broaden his experience within the industry and with First.

"I am very much looking forward to joining the Aberdeen team and working with George and the other directors to deliver reliable, efficient and punctual bus services across the Aberdeen network', Duncan commented. "And I am keen to work with the team to identify further opportunities for improvements in service delivery and build on the recent network changes to ensure that we do all we can to transform travel in the city.

"I cant wait to get to work in Aberdeen and see how it compares to the larger areas of the business where I have spent much of the last few years " and to join the company just as the new depot and the global headquarters are nearing completion is very exciting indeed.'

Duncan is also looking forward to getting to know passengers in the city and hearing their views on Firsts bus services and he is keen to get out on many routes and services himself " something the managing director does when he can to keep in touch with whats going on on the ground.

"I always try to get out and see things for myself', he continued, "and this is something that I am keen to continue in Aberdeen and its great that George also advocates this approach. Its a refreshing and worthwhile way to hear from our passengers and shows that we genuinely want to listen.'

When hes not making his mark on the bus industry, Duncan enjoys football, playing golf and spending time with his family and is looking forward to doing more of all of these when he moves to Aberdeen.

"I will obviously miss the many friends and colleagues I have met over the years in south-east England', he concluded, "but we will keep in touch and this was definitely too good an opportunity to miss. Its great to be going home to Aberdeen to take on such a fabulous role and Im looking forward to getting started.'