Eurostar has announced the appointment of Mike Cooper, currently leader of the delivery service firm, Yodel, as its new chief executive.
He will succeed Nicolas Petrovic, who will be leaving Eurostar at the end of February to become chief executive of Siemens, France.
Cooper brings a wide range of experience and expertise to Eurostar having been chief executive of Yodel and deputy chief executive and manging director, mainland Europe, of Arriva, where he led the European transport business with responsibility for rail, bus and trams across 13 countries.
Prior to Arriva, he was chief commercial officer of easyJet from its flotation in 2000 until 2005.
Before easyJet, he was managing director of Portland Travel, part of the Thomson Travel Group.
Over the last seven years under the leadership of Petrovic, Eurostar has introduced a new fleet of trains, extended its reach to new destinations and made a significant investment in its service.
“The board of Eurostar would like to thank Nicolas for his considerable contribution and to wish him every success in his new role,” read a statement from the company.
Cooper will join Eurostar on Monday March 12th, 2018.
Clare Hollingsworth, chairman of Eurostar, said: “We are delighted that Mike will be joining Eurostar as chief executive as he brings a wealth of expertise to our business.
“With his strong track record of leading a major European transport business across multiple countries and his extensive experience of key consumer travel brands he is perfectly placed to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”
Shareholders SNCF Mobilités, Patina, itself a consortium comprising Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Hermes Infrastructure, and SNCB, issued a statement in support of the new appointment.
“The shareholders are confident that with his strong experience, Mike will build on recent successes and consolidate the leadership of Eurostar in European high speed rail passenger services,” the statement added.