Senior Directors & Managers
The ULTra management team comprises a balance of technical and operational experience and are recognized as leaders in the transport systems industry.
Trevor Smallwood OBE – Executive Chairman
Trevor Smallwood joined ULTra as Chairman in 2000. Prior to joining, Trevor was Executive Chairman of FirstGroup plc. Trevor led the MBO of Badgerline from National Bus Company in 1986 and during the following 13 years, engineered the growth of the business from one employing 800 employees to one with £2B turnover and profits of £100 million with a worldwide reach. Trevor oversaw the international expansion of the Group which today has operations in many countries, operating some 10,000 buses in the UK, 14,000 US school buses and has 3 UK rail franchises. He was also Chairman of Bristol and Sheffield airports.
Trevor brings to ULTra critical knowledge and senior level contacts in the world transport business.
Trevor is also Chairman of Greater Bristol Foundation, a local charity, non executive director of UKRD radio stations and Bristol Water plc.
Peter Rilett – Chief Finance Officer
Peter Rilett joined ULTra in 2006 as Non-Executive Director.
Peter is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He spent 33 years with KPMG rising to Senior Partner of the firm's Bristol office before retiring in September 2005. His career provided exposure to all sizes of business from SME's to international listed groups and a wide range of industries. Latterly Peter specialised in matters of strategy, property and finance both advising businesses and carrying out internal roles.
Peter brings extensive financial and strategic planning experience to the Company.
John Holland Kaye - Non-Executive
John was appointed BAA Commercial Director in May 2009. He was previously Divisional CEO with Taylor Wimpey PLC, having held a number of positions within the company including Operations Director of Taylor Woodrow Developments and Commercial Director of Taylor Woodrow Inc. Prior to that, John was Managing Director, National Sales Division, of Bass Brewers, and has also worked as a strategy consultant with LEK Consulting for a number of high-profile businesses. He became a Director of ULTra in June 2009
Pablo Andres - Non-Executive
Pablo is Head of Group Finance at BAA. Previously he has held the positions of Administration and Consolidation Manager at Ferrovial Servicios, Manager at Deloitte and Manager at Arthur Andersen. He has been a Director of ULTra since January 2009.
Nigel Clarke - Non-Executive
Between 1985 and 2003, Nigel was one of the three principal partners of GJW, Europe's leading government relations company, having cut his political teeth working for the Conservative Research Department as Head of its Home Affairs and then Political Sections.
During these years, he worked closely with companies and other organisations, dealing with legislative and regulatory problems, planning issues and procurement challenges in the UK, Europe (especially in Central and Eastern Europe after 1990) and the Far East. Typical projects covered by GJW included the Channel Tunnel (for Eurotunnel), the extension of London Underground's Jubilee line, the Okehampton bypass (which required its own Act of Parliament), and significant work on assorted local transport schemes.
Nigel is now a Senior Partner at Learned Lion Partners. Learned Lion Partners specialises in advisory services in the field of public affairs. It offers its clients (companies, charities, government agencies and NGOs) advice and assistance to create strong and effective internal public affairs departments or units.
Nigel brings extensive planning and legislative knowledge and influence to the Company.
Phil Smith - Chief Executive Officer
Phil joined ULTra in 2007 to head the Operations Team. He is a professional and highly effective Director with considerable transport management experience in both contracting and consultancy environments. Accomplished stakeholder manager with excellent analytical skills demonstrated in roles encompassing business development, commercial and operational management. A strong leader who builds effective teams. Demonstrable record of successful negotiation in PFI, public service contract and commercial contract environments to deliver required outcomes.
Previous experience includes Serco Limited. Project Director, National Traffic Control Centre 2006 - 2007 Managing Director, Manchester Metrolink 2002 - 2006 Engineering and Commercial Director, Manchester Metrolink 2001 - 2002 Contract Director, East Mids Infrastructure Maintenance Contract 2001 Operations Director, East Mids Infrastructure Maintenance Contract 2000 General Manager, Serco Rail 1998 - 2000
Chris Cook - Director of Engineering
Chris Cook joined ULTra in 1999 and is responsible for all the major contracts undertaken by the Company.
Chris was previously a Board Director and Executive Director of BREL (British Rail Engineering Ltd), the largest UK manufacturer and repairer of railway rolling stock. He was a member of the six man team that led a successful MBO. Chris held full profit and loss and operating responsibility for the design, manufacture and sales of all new rolling stock. He introduced a new product based organisation and succeeded in increasing the Group's turnover by a factor of three to £200 million over four years and increased the order book from £250 million to £1 billion. At the same time he transformed the operations from a significant cash deficit and loss making position to a cash positive and a highly profitable one.
Before joining ULTra Chris ran a successful business consultancy firm, RCL Limited, specialising in consultancy to the aerospace, defence and transport manufacturing sectors, working with many of the UK's leading international companies, advising them on aspects such as M&A activity, product strategy, company structure and project organisation. Prior to establishing his consultancy Chris worked in rail and aerospace manufacturing companies, and worked for 21 years at Westland Helicopters Limited, rising to Chief Designer and later full board member with responsibility for the project management of all major national and international projects undertaken by the Company (with typical values of £350 million plus).
Chris is responsible for the day-to-day operations of ULTra and the engineering development programme. He has successfully directed all the major contracts undertaken by the Company to time and to cost.
Martin Lowson - President
Martin was the originator of the ULTra concept while Sir George White Professor at the University of Bristol. Previously, Martin worked in the US on the Apollo Space Program, where he led a team of over 50 staff and became Chief Scientist of Westland Helicopters, where he established and led the Westland Technology Demonstrator programme. This generated the advanced rotor system, for which he is a patentee, now used on both Lynx and EH101 helicopters. This rotor was used to set the absolute world speed record for helicopters, held by Westland since 1986. He later became Director of Corporate Development Westland plc, responsible for marketing the EH101 in Canada and for establishing two systems companies. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering 1991, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society 1986 and an overseas Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1993.
