ACE chief executive Dr Nelson Ogunshakin is one of a series of new appointments made by mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to a new slimmed-down Transport for London (TfL) board that the mayor claims better represents the diversity of the capital.

Seven women and five men will join the mayor and deputy mayor for transport Val Shawcross on the board, with a further member to represent workers to be nominated by the TUC.

The previous TfL Board included 13 men and four women, with no BAME representative. In contrast, the new board will be 57 per cent female, 29 per cent BAME and 13 per cent with a disability – with the final position still to fill.

As part of Sadiq Khan’s efforts to make TfL more efficient, he has reduced the board by two members, two advisors and restructured payments to all members saving approximately £190,000 a year compared to 2015/16.

The mayor confirmed that Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Michael Liebreich will continue their roles for a further two years, as he announced four-year roles for 10 new members and a new position to represent workers. The new members include existing transport board members, champions of social inclusion and disability rights, and finance, energy and infrastructure experts.

Commenting on the new board, Sadiq Khan said: “I promised to reshape TfL’s board and make it reflect London’s diversity, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’m delighted to be able to announce a board that brings together a huge range of talent, experiences and backgrounds, while being more efficient. There are still not enough women in senior positions across London, and I’m proud that we have brought gender parity to the TfL board and increased BAME and disability representation. Together we will ensure that TfL delivers the world-class transport system that Londoners deserve.”

Commenting on his appointment to the TfL board, ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: “I am delighted to be in a position to add value, support, provide corporate guidance and give strategic advice to TfL, in order to meet present and future challenges.

“There are great talents and backgrounds in the board appointments under the leadership of Sadiq Khan and commissioner Mike Brown. I am confident that we will be able to take TfL to the next level of success, providing Londoners with the transport they need and expect for years to come.” 

The TfL board is responsible for approving TfL’s budget, business plan, annual report and other major and strategic issues and policies.

The new members of the board are: -

Greg Clark CBE – Clark is a former member of the London LEP Board, Chairman of the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium, member of the UK Ministerial Smart Cities Forum, member of the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission and the West Anglia Task Force.

Ron Kalifa – Kalifa is vice-chairman of WorldPay Group plc. He was CEO of WorldPay and marketing e-commerce director at Natwest.

Dr Alice Maynard CBE - Maynard is an experienced member of public sector advisory groups and not for profit boards. She is the current chair of the independent disability advisory group for TfL.

Anne McMeel – McMeel worked in the GLA as the executive director of finance and performance from 2001 to 2007 and director of resources in MPS from 2007 to 2012. She is currently on Arts Council England’s performance and audit committee.

Dr Mee Ling Ng OBE – Ling is a board member of a housing association providing accessible housing to people with disabilities, and a board member of South Bank University.  From 2002-2010 she was chair of Southwark PCT NHS board. She has also been a non-executive director of Lewisham and Guy’s Mental Health Trust and South London and Maudsley Mental Health Trust. She was a councillor in Lewisham from 1986 to 2002.

Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE – Ogunshakin is currently the CEO and company secretary of Association for Consultancy and Engineering. He co-chaired the National Infrastructure Plan Strategic Engagement Forum and was appointed by the GLA as a member of the London Infrastructure Delivery Board. He is also chair of a private equity investment board.

Nina Skorupska CBE – Skorupska is chief executive of Renewable Energy Association and on the board of Women in Science and Engineering Campaign. She was the first female power station manager for RWE npower in the UK before going on to be director of performance improvement. She has also been responsible for delivery of Essent’s new clean energy developments.

Ben Story – Story has previously been the managing director of CitiBank. He has over 25 years’ experience in financial advice and funding in the transport and industrial sectors. He was also involved in the corporatisation of TfL.

Kay Carberry CBE – Carberry has been assistant general secretary of the Trades Union Congress from 2003 to 2016. She has also been a member of the Women and Work Commission and a commissioner of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Lynn Sloman – Sloman was special adviser to TfL Board from 2000 to 2008. She has been vice-chair of the Commission for Integrated Transport and board member of Cycling England, and is currently chair of Campaign for Better Transport.