John Armitt

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John Armitt, CBE, is the appointed Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body charged with building the venues, facilities and infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games. The appointment was to commence on 1 September 2007. [2]. Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, announced the appointment in May 2007.

Until 18 July 2007, he was the Chief Executive of Network Rail, the not-for-dividend company which owns, maintains, and runs the railway infrastructure in the UK. His successor as Chief Executive is Iain Coucher^[1]. John Armitt formally left Network Rail on 20 July 2007 after bringing the former Railtrack, put into administration, back from the brink of collapse, garnering respect even from dedicated critics. His civil engineering background, including work on the high-speed Channel Tunnel link and the Sizewell B nuclear plant, are cited as key experience fitting him for the Chairmanship of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).^[2]

During his time at Network Rail he was believed by a survey sponsored by The Sunday Times to be the highest-paid public-sector employee in the UK^[3]. Armitt’s salary and bonus of £878,000 - rising to more than £1m^[4] when pension contributions are included, overtaking Adam Crozier, chief executive of Royal Mail.

Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks announced the appointment of John Armitt as the new Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). He succeeded Dame Julia Higgins on 1 April 2007. The appointment is for four years.

He initially trained and practiced as a civil engineer. Before joining the Olympic Delivery Authority, he was Chief Executive of Network Rail, and formerly held the position of Chief Executive of Costain Group and Union Railways.

On July 16th 2007, Armitt named a Class 43 HST powercar after himself at London Euston. The powercar in question forms part of Network Rail's New Measurement Train.