THREE senior Network Rail departmental heads have been elevated to full board status as executive directors in a move by the company to strengthen its top level team.

The company says the appointments have been made to meet the challenges of the next five years.

The new Board members are Robin Gisby, director, operations and customer services, Simon Kirby, director, infrastructure and investment and Paul Plummer, director, planning and regulation.

Network Rail chairman Ian McAllister said: “Over the past six years we have set about sorting out and reversing the mess left by Railtrack, and safety, train punctuality and investment are all at record levels.

“Our new Board members will play a key role in helping us meet the challenges ahead – growth, development and expansion.”

Robin Gisby, 51, took up his current role in 2004 after directing the company’s Southern and Eastern Regions and directing network development and freight for predecessor organisation Railtrack, which he joined in 1997.

Simon Kirby’s early career was spent in the aerospace defence industry from which he became operations director of the two Marconi shipyards in 1998.

Following the merger of Marconi and British Aerospace to form BAE Systems, he was appointed managing director of the new company’s three shipyards in Cumbria and Glasgow, and then managing director of its ‘prime contract’ organisation.

Mr Kirby, 43, joined Network Rail five years ago as director, major projects and investment, with responsibility for the project and expansion scheme portfolio, and was last year appointed to his current position in which he has taken on such mega-projects as West Coast and Thameslink.

Paul Plummer, 42, joined Network Rail on its takeover of Railtrack with a remit for all aspects of economic regulation, business planning and long-term network planning.

Previously chief economist and then non-executive director at the then Office of the Rail Regulator, he has also held positions at National Economic Research Associates, NM Rothschild Sons and Accenture