Stagecoach South West appoints new MD
Bus operator Stagecoach announced today (3 June 2015) that it has appointed a new Managing Director of its South West bus operations.
Current Stagecoach East Engineering Director Bob Dennison will take on the role of Managing Director, Stagecoach South West from 1 July 2015. Stagecoach previously confirmed that current South West Managing Director Mike Watson will become Managing Director, Stagecoach South on the same date.
Stagecoach South West provides local bus services across Devon and into Cornwall and Somerset. It has nearly 1,000 employees, a fleet of more than 300 buses and over 30 million passenger journeys a year. The company’s buses cover around 16 million miles a year across 136 routes.
Bob Dennison (38), began his career in 1994 as an apprentice mechanic in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1999, he moved to the UK and joined Stagecoach in Hull as a shift fitter, before becoming a charge hand.
In 2000, Bob achieved a place on Stagecoach’s Staff Development Programme, and subsequently moved to Cambridge as Engineering Supervisor. He then had a spell as Engineering Manager at Peterborough depot before being appointed Engineering Manager at Cambridge depot.
In 2008 Bob was appointed Engineering Director at Stagecoach East, where he has since been responsible for the introduction of the company’s guided busway fleet as well as the recent upgrade to high specification coaches on the popular X5 route between Cambridge and Oxford.
Robert Montgomery, Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director, said: “I would like to congratulate Bob on his promotion. With more than 20 years’ engineering experience, and more than 15 years with Stagecoach, he understands the challenges and opportunities within the bus industry, and has the necessary knowledge and experience to further develop our south west operations.
“There has been a real focus on partnership working over the past two years in the south west area and it has been successful in attracting even more people on to our greener, smarter bus services. Bob will provide the positive and strong leadership required to build on the work done over the last few years to take advantage of the growth opportunities in the region.”
Bob Dennison said: "It’s a privilege to be taking on this role and I look forward to working with the Stagecoach team in the south west, and our many partners in the area, to continue delivering high-quality, affordable bus travel and excellent customer service for the millions of people that rely on our services every day.”
Stagecoach announced in April that current South West Managing Director Mike Watson will become Managing Director, Stagecoach South in July following the retirement of long-serving Stagecoach South Managing Director Andrew Dyer. Mike Watson has been Managing Director, Stagecoach South West, since July 2013 and has been in the bus industry for nearly 20 years, working at a number of companies including London Transport Buses, Metrobus, Go North East and Arriva.
