Nick Harris will be Highways England’s acting chief executive from February 1 when Jim O’Sullivan steps down from the role.
Harris, currently the company’s executive director of operations, is a civil engineer with extensive experience in delivering multi-million pound infrastructure programmes.
Since joining Highways England in 2016 he has been responsible for the operation and maintenance of the network.
In this role, he has led changes in the way Highways England works with its supply chain and introduced new ways of working to improve the quality of service to road users and local communities.
Dipesh J Shah, Highways England chair, said: “I am pleased Nick has agreed to act as chief executive. I’m confident he’ll build on the work we have all done since 2015 to make Highways England the successful organisation it is today.
“I’d like to thank Jim O’Sullivan for all he has achieved at Highways England. Since he joined the company in 2015 he has been instrumental in so many positive things. He leaves behind a reputation for delivery that is on time and on budget as well as improvements in the culture of customer service and safety that runs through everything we do.”
Harris said: “Our road network has always played a vital role in connecting the country and boosting the economy, and now even more so.
“I’m delighted to be taking over, as we move into the second year of our second roads programme.”
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Harry - 05/04/2021 11:04
So acting chief exec. Nick Harris is a civil engineer. It would be very interesting to find out what he did prior to becoming a civil engineer as I could almost guarantee he's never been a professional driver. These "safe" motorways are anything but, a child of 3 could see what was going to happen when it was decided to get rid of hard shoulders, and the new "Go Left" advert I believe was produced by people who quite obviously never had need to use these roads on a regular basis. It's got to the point where people are now too scared to use the motorways allegedly many fleet drivers are apparently refusing to use them in their daily work and I believe also some recovery services, I for one would sooner travel 20 miles on a B road than 5 miles on a "safe" motorway. It's not getting any better, the Government {and now H.E. apparently} by showing this advert are under the impression that vehicles will only break down or develop a fault on the approach to a refuge, not only that it will be a doddle to say cross 3 lanes of fast flowing traffic, presuming the said vehicle is still in motion. So confident are you that I'm given to understand that these refuges are now built one and a half miles apart instead of the original half mile apart. In short someone is listening to the wrong people, these roads are death traps, you only have to look on you tube at accidents on American Freeways that have little or no shoulders, it's utter carnage and we are going in the same direction. I'm not saying the motorways were totally safe before the alterations but at least with a CONTINUOUS hard shoulder motorists had a fighting chance. I am now retired and I've never been so scared to use motorways as I am now. I was a professional driver for over 50 years, but hey! what do I know?
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