Rob Holden
Encyclopedia
Rob Holden CBE
is a British
accountant
, born in Manchester
. He holds a degree in Economics from Lancaster University
.
Holden initially worked at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, working on Trident.
In 1996, Holden became finance director of London and Continental Railways
("LCR") and soon moved on to chief executive and chairman of LCR and also Eurostar
. He oversaw the two phase construction of a high speed railway line from the Channel Tunnel
to London at a cost of over £5b. The first phase, which terminated at Waterloo Station
opened in 2003.
The second phase, from Ebbsfleet
, Kent
, into St Pancras Station was opened as High Speed One on 6 November 2007. The grand opening of St Pancras station was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh
and the prime minister, Gordon Brown
.
In 2009 Holden was awarded the CBE
and appointed chief executive of Crossrail
, building a new train line across London.
Rob Holden took home £554,495 in pay and benefits, more than £160,000 above the pay package received by TfL commissioner Peter Hendy, who has refused to take his £132,409 bonus. (thisislondon.co.uk)
Having joined Crossrail in April 2009 however, in January 2011 Holden announced his departure from his post as Chief Executive of Crossrail. "It's time in my career to fulfil my ambition for a portfolio of non-executive jobs," Mr Holden, 54, told the Daily Telegraph."If I didn't make the move now, I never will. If I stayed at Crossrail until its completion, I will be 63 and that would be too late.The time is right. We awarded major tunneling contracts just before Christmas and now there is no doubt about the project."
Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, paid tribute Mr Holden. “Rob has been a great champion for Crossrail during his time in charge of the project, taking it from Royal Assent to the start of construction. Of course, I would have been delighted if he had committed the next eight years of his life to the project but I understand his reasons for leaving and I wish him every success in the future.
“Thanks to Rob a robust management structure is in place which will ensure the project will continue successfully and will transform London’s transport landscape. The Government is committed to Crossrail and I look forward to working closely with Rob’s successor.”
Holden is married with two children, and lives in Hertfordshire
.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, born in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He holds a degree in Economics from Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
.
Holden initially worked at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, working on Trident.
In 1996, Holden became finance director of London and Continental Railways
London and Continental Railways
-History:Created at the time of the privatisation of British Rail it bid for and won the contract from the UK government in 1996 to build and operate High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel...
("LCR") and soon moved on to chief executive and chairman of LCR and also Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
. He oversaw the two phase construction of a high speed railway line from the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
to London at a cost of over £5b. The first phase, which terminated at Waterloo Station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
opened in 2003.
The second phase, from Ebbsfleet
Ebbsfleet, Thanet
Ebbsfleet is a hamlet near Ramsgate, Kent, at the head of Pegwell Bay. Historically it was a peninsula on the south coast of the Isle of Thanet, marking the eastern end of the Wantsum Channel that separated Thanet from the rest of Kent....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, into St Pancras Station was opened as High Speed One on 6 November 2007. The grand opening of St Pancras station was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
and the prime minister, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
In 2009 Holden was awarded the CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
and appointed chief executive of Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
, building a new train line across London.
Rob Holden took home £554,495 in pay and benefits, more than £160,000 above the pay package received by TfL commissioner Peter Hendy, who has refused to take his £132,409 bonus. (thisislondon.co.uk)
Having joined Crossrail in April 2009 however, in January 2011 Holden announced his departure from his post as Chief Executive of Crossrail. "It's time in my career to fulfil my ambition for a portfolio of non-executive jobs," Mr Holden, 54, told the Daily Telegraph."If I didn't make the move now, I never will. If I stayed at Crossrail until its completion, I will be 63 and that would be too late.The time is right. We awarded major tunneling contracts just before Christmas and now there is no doubt about the project."
Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, paid tribute Mr Holden. “Rob has been a great champion for Crossrail during his time in charge of the project, taking it from Royal Assent to the start of construction. Of course, I would have been delighted if he had committed the next eight years of his life to the project but I understand his reasons for leaving and I wish him every success in the future.
“Thanks to Rob a robust management structure is in place which will ensure the project will continue successfully and will transform London’s transport landscape. The Government is committed to Crossrail and I look forward to working closely with Rob’s successor.”
Holden is married with two children, and lives in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.