TRANSPORT for West Midlands (TfWM) has appointed Anne Shaw as its executive director.
Anne took over the reigns as interim executive director in August after Laura Shoaf moved to the West Midlands Combined Authority.
As part of her role she will be expected to see current major infrastructure projects through to completion as well as oversee delivery of a further £1.3billion investment over the next five years.
During four years as director of network resilience with TfWM, a role which involved keeping the region moving, she set up and opened the Regional Transport Co-ordination Centre (RTCC).
The RTCC is now working round the clock, bringing together local authorities, emergency services and transport operators, to plan for major events and deal with transport disruption ensuring that residents and businesses have the best travel information.
She also oversaw the development of the new Commonwealth Games Transport Plan which sets out how the region’s transport system will accommodate more than a million visitors later this year.
Anne said: “This is not just about rails and wheels – our investment connects communities and opens up opportunities for people giving them easier access to jobs, training and leisure opportunities.
“It will also play a massive part in meeting the climate change challenge and helping the region towards its net-zero carbon targets.”
Before joining TfWM, Anne worked with Birmingham City Council’s transport department, starting on the shop floor as a junior technician and working her way up to assistant director.
Councillor Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council said: “We had every confidence in Anne when she was appointed to lead TfWM on an interim basis last year and she has more than proved up to the role.
“We therefore had no hesitation in making this this appointment permanent – the region is in good hands going forward as we look forward to the Commonwealth Games, the arrival of HS2 and the further growth of our rail, road, tram, bus and cycling networks.”
