REG-FirstGroup PLC: Directorate Change

FirstgroupAnnouncement

15/08/2019 07:05

FIRSTGROUP PLC
DIRECTORATE CHANGE

FirstGroup plc (‘FirstGroup’ or ‘the Group’) announces that David
Martin has been appointed to the Board and will become Chairman with immediate
effect.

David is the former Chief Executive of Arriva, a leading passenger transport
group providing a range of services including bus, coach and rail operations
across 14 countries, with revenues of over €6bn. His career in the transport
industry began in 1986. He was appointed to the Board of Arriva in 1998 with
specific responsibility for international development, before taking over the
leadership of the company in 2006. During his tenure, Arriva was transformed
into a multi-national transport services group through a number of key
strategic mergers and acquisitions. In September 2010 the company was
purchased by Deutsche Bahn, one of the world’s leading passenger transport
and logistics companies. David remained as Chief Executive throughout this
period, before stepping down in January 2016. He remained on the Arriva Board
advising on a range of issues until May 2017.

David is currently Senior Independent Director at waste management group Biffa
plc and served as Interim Chairman of that company for a period of six months.
He was formerly a Non-Executive Director at Ladbrokes plc and was Chair of
their Remuneration Committee, as well as a member of their Audit and
Nomination Committees. He is also a member of the advisory board at Nottingham
Business School and a member of the steering committee at Nottingham Trent
University.

A chartered management accountant, David was previously Operations and
Acquisitions Director at British Bus plc, where he was responsible for
development of strategy and M&A. He has also held roles at shipping company
Holyhead Group and business services group Initial Services plc.

David Robbie, FirstGroup Interim Chairman and Senior Independent Non-Executive
Director said:

"I am delighted to announce the appointment of David Martin as Chairman of
FirstGroup. Having followed a rigorous and formal process, and considered the
views of our shareholders, we have secured an extremely experienced, high
calibre and independent candidate with an extensive track record in surface
transportation. David is a strong leader with significant experience in
business turnaround and performance improvement within the sector and more
broadly. He has extensive knowledge of international transport contract
businesses and in delivering strategic transactions, including disposals. His
expertise and focus will be invaluable in driving forward the plans to
rationalise the Group’s portfolio and create value for shareholders.”

Commenting, David Martin said:

"I am pleased to be joining FirstGroup at a key point in its development.
Undoubtedly there are challenges which we must overcome, but I am confident in
the opportunity that exists to unlock the considerable value within the Group.
By ensuring the timely delivery of the most effective and appropriate means of
value creation, I look forward to playing a pivotal role in achieving a
successful outcome in the interests of all stakeholders.”

Contacts at FirstGroup:
Faisal Tabbah, Head of Investor Relations
Stuart Butchers, Group Head of Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354

Contacts at Brunswick PR:
Andrew Porter / Alison Lea, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959

Notes:
David Martin is currently a Non-Executive Director of McGill’s Bus Service
Ltd in Scotland and has confirmed that he will relinquish that role.

Classification as per DTR 6 Annex 1R: 3.1. Legal Entity Identifier (LEI):
549300DEJZCPWA4HKM93. This announcement is made pursuant to Listing Rule
9.6.11R. There are no other details required to be disclosed under Listing
Rule 9.6.13R.

About FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is a leading provider of transport services in the
UK and North America. With £7.1 billion in revenue and around 100,000
employees, we transported 2.2 billion passengers last year. Whether for
business, education, health, social or recreation – we get our customers
where they want to be, when they want to be there. We create solutions that
reduce complexity, making travel smoother and life easier.

We provide easy and convenient mobility, improving quality of life by
connecting people and communities.

Each of our five divisions is a leader in its field: In North America, First
Student is the largest provider of home-to-school student transportation with
a fleet of 42,500 yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest
providers of outsourced transit management and contracting services, while
Greyhound is the only nationwide operator of scheduled intercity coaches. In
the UK, First Bus is one of Britain's largest bus companies with 1.6 million
passengers a day, and First Rail is one of the country's largest and most
experienced rail operators, carrying 345 million passengers last year.

Visit our website at www.firstgroupplc.com and follow us @firstgroupplc on
Twitter.                                                                                                    



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