Edinburgh Trams board have changed their office bearers reflecting recent decisions made by The City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee (TEC).
There are now new governance arrangements established for the Council’s Transport Arm’s Length External Organisations (ALEOs) of Lothian which runs the bus service and Edinburgh Trams. The two businesses will be run as one company in future.
Arrangements will be as follows with immediate effect:
- Susan Deacon is appointed to the Edinburgh Trams Board as Chair.
- Sarah Boyd is appointed to the Edinburgh Trams Board as Chief Executive.
- Iain Reid, Tony Rose, Stephanie Rivet, Loraine Strachan and Mark Yexley are appointed to the Edinburgh Trams Board as Non-Executive Directors.
- Lea Harrison will continue as Managing Director until 31 January 2026 after which he will step down from the Edinburgh Trams Board.
- Martin Dean (Chair), Peter Cushing and Colin Kerr step down from Edinburgh Trams Board.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams said: “Sincere thanks are extended to the retiring Board members of Edinburgh Trams for the significant leadership, contribution and wider support demonstrated to the company during their tenure. They leave Edinburgh Trams well placed to move forward into the next phase of development as a key part of an integrated public transport network.”
In June this year councillors on TEC were advised that: “The Council and Lothian Buses have worked jointly since July 2020 to progress the
approach to reform of the transport ALEOs, with an oversight board meeting fortnightly throughout 2025. Alongside this, external legal support has been commissioned by the Council and Lothian Buses to provide advice on the Transport
Act 1985 (as amended), the Competition Act 1998 (as amended) and on the refresh of the company governance documentation. Workshops between Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams to develop a managed approach to operational delivery have also been progressed. These have been focused on improving the customer experience and integrating public transport services.”
