Our governance

The main decision-making, executive and managerial bodies at High Speed Two (HS2) Limited.

Board

The role of the board is to:

ensure effective governance of the company so that the company makes decisions at the right time and properly manages risks
shape, challenge and direct the agenda for the company delivering stated priorities
monitor performance and risk, making choices (or recommendations to ministers) on our priorities ‘risk appetite’ (the amount and type of risk we are willing to take in order to meet our strategic objectives)
oversee healthy relations with our stakeholders and commercial partners

The board typically meets on a monthly basis.

Board members

Mike Brown CBE, Chair

Mike Brown CBE was appointed as Chair of HS2 Ltd in July 2025.

He is chair of Affinity Water Ltd and a board member of Translink. Previously he was chair of the Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority for the Houses of Parliament, an adviser to Mott MacDonald and chair of their shareholder committee. He was also chair of the Rail Safety and Standards Board.

In his executive career, Mike was the commissioner for Transport for London for five years during a period of significant improvements. He was previously managing director of London Underground and London Rail, including leading public transport services for the successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. He also was the managing director of Heathrow Airport and led the turnaround in performance following the challenges of opening Terminal 5.

Mike is passionate about skills and apprenticeships in the transport sector and the potential opportunities for young people.

He was appointed as member of the Royal Victorian Order in 2002 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2020. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University, Belfast.

Elaine Holt, Deputy Chair

Elaine Holt was appointed as Deputy Chair of HS2 Ltd in July 2020.

Elaine Holt has over 30 years’ experience in the transport and service industry and is highly experienced in working in complex, highly regulated environments subject to intense public, political and media scrutiny. She has extensive railway operations experience and a strong track record of running large customer operations and leading organisations through periods of significant change.

Elaine has held a number of board roles, including serving for over six years as a board member of National Highways.

Previously, Elaine held a number of senior roles within the UK rail industry, including chair and chief executive of Directly Operated Railways, chair of East Coast and managing director of First Capital Connect. She was also executive vice president for guest experience at Carnival UK, where she ran all operations for P&O Cruises and Cunard.

Mark Wild OBE, Chief Executive Officer

Mark Wild has been Chief Executive Officer of HS2 Limited since December 2024*, leading one of the largest infrastructure programmes in the UK - Britain’s newest, high speed railway stretching over 140 miles between London and Birmingham and employing over 30,000 people. Mark draws on more than 35 years of experience leading complex and critical infrastructure programmes in both public and private sectors in the UK and abroad.

Mark joined HS2 Ltd from SGN, one of the UK’s largest gas distribution networks, servicing 7 million customers in Scotland, Southern England and Northern Ireland.

The majority of his experience has been in operating or building major transportation infrastructure including as MD of Westinghouse Signals, CEO of Public Transport Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), and MD of London Underground - one of oldest and largest oldest metro systems in the world with over one billion journeys a year and 20,000 employees. He has a proven track record of delivering transformational change on some of the largest and most complex projects around the world.

As CEO of Crossrail (2018-2022) in London, a £20bn programme delivering one of the world’s most advanced high-frequency passenger rail services, he implemented a rescue and recovery of the programme following earlier cost and schedule delays in 2018. This included rebuilding the organisation, completing construction of the programme and the integration into one of the most successful and celebrated new operating railways in the world – now known as the Elizabeth line.

Alan Foster, Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer

Alan Foster joined HS2 as Chief Financial Officer in July 2022 and took on interim additional CEO responsibilities in September 2024. He brings with him deep experience operating at Board level supporting businesses in both the Energy and Construction sectors, where he has led Finance, a wide range of Corporate Services and business wide transformation in large complex organisations. Alan joins HS2’s Executive Committee and will also attend HS2 Board.

As Chief Financial Officer Alan will be responsible for a wide range of functional teams, including Finance, Legal, Sponsorship, Programme Controls and IT, helping them succeed in collectively enabling the business and our supply chain to deliver on budget and to schedule.

Previously, Alan has been Group CFO of a premium listed construction company and spent over 20 years at National Grid plc in a broad range of Finance and Commercial leadership roles both in the UK & US. Alan was on the Board of National Grid Electricity Transmission plc and National Grid Gas plc as UK CFO from 2016-2020. Prior to National Grid Alan led Finance and IT at a division of a FMCG business, after nearly seven years building his career from Finance graduate trainee to a Senior Commercial Finance Manager with British Sugar plc. Alan has a degree in Mathematics and it’s application and is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS).

Emma Head, Chief Railway Officer

Emma joined HS2 Ltd in August 2015 as a member of the Executive Team, and has had a variety of leadership roles within the organisation including Technical Service Delivery Director, before joining the HS2 Board as Chief Railway Officer.

Emma has worked in the UK railway industry since 1999 and was previously Director of Safety Strategy at Network Rail, where she delivered a step change in workforce and passenger safety performance, operational improvements at level crossings across the UK network, and assured the delivery of critical asset improvement programmes. Emma has a wealth of experience from a client and contractor perspective, and has contributed to major railway engineering schemes, including West Coast route modernisation and London’s Crossrail project. Before moving client side, Emma held various roles in large Tier 1 and 2 Contractors, working across the construction and rail sectors.

David Goldstone CBE, Non-Executive Director

David Goldstone CBE was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in June 2024.

David has had a long career leading major investment programmes for government and the wider public sector. Most recently, he set up and served as chief executive of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority from July 2020 until September 2024. He has been a board member of the Submarine Delivery Agency since 2022.

David was previously the chief operating officer of the Ministry of Defence, where he led a complex multibillion-pound transformation programme. He overhauled the Defence Operating Model, represented the department on the boards of the military commands and acted as sponsor for 12 arm’s length bodies.

As chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, David was responsible for delivering the regeneration legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in east London. This included the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, thousands of new homes, new centres of employment and innovation, major visitor attractions and a new cultural and educational district. He has previously overseen the funding and delivery of the Olympic Park investment programme, including responsibility for the government’s £9.3 billion budget, and later served as Transport for London’s chief finance officer.

Earlier in his career, David spend 12 years delivering locally based government investment programmes, including establishing the delivery and commercial structures for the Building Schools for the Future and NHS LIFT programmes. He trained as a CIPFA accountant at the Audit Commission before moving to Price Waterhouse.

Ian King, Non-Executive Director

Ian King was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in July 2020 and is the lead board member for the Department for Transport.

Ian began his career in 1976 as a graduate entrant at Marconi, working in defence electronics manufacturing. He served as a finance director at Marconi Electronic Systems from 1992 to 1998 and became chief executive of Alenia Marconi following the merger of Marconi and British Aerospace merged in 1999 to form BAE Systems. He subsequently became group strategy and planning director at BAE systems.

In 2008, Ian was appointed chief executive of BAE Systems, a role he held until his retirement in June 2017. His current positions include lead directorship at the Department for Transport, senior adviser to Gleacher Shacklock, senior independent director at Schroders PLC and chair of Senior plc.

Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, Non-Executive Director

Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in October 2023.

Nelson was appointed chief executive officer of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) in July 2018, with responsibility for its global operations. In 2016, he was appointed by the Mayor of London as a board member of Transport for London, where he chairs the programmes and investment committee and is a member of the remuneration committee. He also served on its audit and assurance committee, and the customer service and operational performance panel, and was a board member of Crossrail Limited, chairing its investment committee.

Nelson previously served for 14 years as president and chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, leading its transformation and repositioning. During this time, he represented over 450 consultancy and engineering firms employing more than 90,000 professionals. He was appointed the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as co-chair of the UK National Infrastructure Plan Strategic Engagement Forum and served as a member of the London Infrastructure Delivery Board. He has chaired the investment committee of ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment funds since 2015.

Nelson has over 35 years’ expertise in planning, finance procurement, delivery and management of major property and infrastructure investment projects across the UK and internationally. He has advised major investors, contractors and public bodies on a wide range of complex capital programmes.

He holds a degrees in civil engineering, construction and programme management, strategic management and corporation finance, and is a visiting professor at Aston University. Nelson is a chartered engineer and a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Keith Smithson, Non-Executive Director

Kieth Smithson was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in June 2023.

Keith Smithson is a highly experienced leader in finance, treasury and transformation for large, complex organisations operating in regulated environments.

After qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG, Keith spent 35 years in banking and financial services, primarily in chief financial officer and treasury roles at HSBC and Barclays. His experience spans asset finance, retail banking, insurance, wealth management, corporate banking and capital markets in the UK and internationally.

Most recently Keith served as chief financial officer and board director of Barclays Europe. He has also been a board member of Big Society Capital Limited, a regulated provider of social investment capital in the UK.

Anne McMeel, Non-Executive Director

Anne McMeel was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in January 2026.

Anne McMeel is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. She is a board member of the National Crime Agency and the chair of its audit, risk and assurance committee.

After holding various executive posts in London authorities, Anne joined the newly created Greater London Authority in 2001 as its first director of finance and performance. In 2007, she moved to the Metropolitan Police Service as director of resources, a role she held until 2012.

Since 2013, Anne has applied her risk, assurance and governance expertise across a range of organisations. Her roles have included adviser to KBR Inc. and board director positions at Keech Hospice Care, Transport for London, the Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority and the Rail Safety and Standards Board. She also served as an independent member of the Ministry of Defence Police Committee and the Arts Council England performance and audit committee.

Stephen Murphy, Non-Executive Director

Steven Murphy was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in January 2026.

Stephen was chief executive of MTR UK from 2020 to 2024, overseeing the delivery of full Elizabeth line services and the establishment of infrastructure and property development businesses to support innovation in the UK rail industry.

Previously, Stephen served as managing director of MTR Elizabeth line from its inception in 2015, leading the organisation to first place sector performance across measures including punctuality, safety, workplace diversity and customer service. He is widely credited as a key driver of the organisation’s success.

Stephen began his career over 30 years ago as a British Rail graduate trainee and has since held leadership roles at Chiltern Railways, Irish Rail, Deutsche Bahn and London Overground. His career has been characterised by a strong focus on safety, reliability, customer service and continuous improvement.

Simon Wills, Non-Executive Director

Simon Wills was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in December 2025.

Simon Wills has a background in the energy sector, having held a wide range of commercial and operational roles at Centrica and previously British Gas, both in the UK and Europe. His roles have included managing director of Centrica Storage Ltd and group health and safety director.

Simon is chair of B&D Energy and a board member of National Highways, the Oil and Pipelines Agency and the ThamesWey Group.

He holds a BEng (Hons) in mechanical engineering, is an associate member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and holds the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.

Neil Reynolds, Non-Executive Director

Neil Reynolds was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in December 2025.

Neil is a chartered civil engineer with over 40 years’ experience in the planning, delivery and governance of major infrastructure programmes. His career spans senior leadership roles across client, contractor and consultancy organisations, covering both horizontal and vertical infrastructure.

he has held senior executive roles at CH2M (later Jacobs), where he led the international water business group, regional operations across the Middle East, North Africa and India, and global sales for the water and transportation business. He played a leading role in the integration of CH2M and Halcrow and supported assurance and delivery on major programmes including Thames Tideway Tunnel, Riyadh Metro, Expo 2020 Dubai and Qatar 2022.

He later served as president for EMEA at Exyte, overseeing financial restructuring and organisational alignment across a multi-country business delivering high-tech and safety-critical facilities.

Neil is a board member of Network Rail International and serves as chair of ICE Wales Cymru and CMI Wales. He is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a chartered environmentalist and manager.

Fabienne Viala, Non-Executive Director

Fabienne Viala was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in December 2025.

Fabienne has over 35 years’ experience in the construction, energy and infrastructure sectors, bringing extensive leadership and governance expertise from both the UK and continental Europe. She has led complex, high-value programmes in regulated environments and has a strong track record of delivering transformation, improving performance and embedding sustainability.

As former chair and chief executive of Bouygues UK and UK country manager for Bouygues Construction, Fabienne oversaw major developments across healthcare, education and regeneration. She successfully turned around underperforming businesses, integrated acquisitions and delivered long-term value through operational excellence and innovation.

Fabienne has held several board and advisory roles, including board member of Build UK, president of the French Chamber of Great Britain and advisory board member at Durham University Business School. She is bilingual and bicultural, having been brought up in both the UK and France, and trained as a civil engineer in Paris.

Rob McIntosh, Non-Executive Director

Rob Macintosh was appointed as Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd in January 2026.

Rob has led two of Network Rail’s largest regions and was responsible for over half of the organisation’s capital investment portfolio before stepping back in early 2025.

During his time at Network Rail, Rob oversaw the successful delivery of major multibillion-pound investment programmes on the East Coast and Midland Main Line routes. He is also independent chair of the £10 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade programme board.

Before joining Network Rail, Rob worked across the rail supply chain in the UK and overseas. He began his career as an apprentice mechanical engineer, joining the Railtrack graduate training programme in 1996.