Midland Metro Limited appoints new Managing Director

Published by

Peter Davison

Sophie Allison

Sophie Allison has been appointed Managing Director of Midland Metro Limited after carrying out the role on an interim basis for the last two years.

With more than two decades of transport experience, Sophie has already steered the tram operator through a major period of change and the expansion of the network – including the opening of two extensions and the growth of the fleet.

She joined Centro, the predecessor of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), in 2006 and moved to MML, as Head of Business Transformation, when it took over West Midlands Metro operations in 2018.

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Since then, Sophie has established a track record of dedication to the team and a steadfast commitment to delivering outstanding service to customers. New services have recently been added to the timetable in response to a rise in passenger numbers.

MML is owned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), of which TfWM is part, and plays a pivotal role in the region's transportation infrastructure.

Anne Shaw, Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands, said: "I am pleased to extend my congratulations to Sophie on this well-deserved appointment. Her contributions during her time as interim managing director have been outstanding, and we look forward to following her continued success now the role has been made permanent.”

“The appointment has been made at a crucial point as the Metro system looks forward to further growth with the ongoing construction of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill and Birmingham City Centre Eastside extensions, alongside the redevelopment of the West Midlands tram depot.”

TfWM is dedicated to prioritising customers during this substantial growth, with the expansion set to link more people across the region for easier travel in work, education, and leisure, a view shared by Sophie.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire Metro team, our trams are more popular than ever, and I’m delighted to be leading them into a new era,” she said.

“As we look towards further expansion, our focus will be on further enhancing the customer experience for the thousands of people who rely on us every day.”

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Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “Congratulations to Sophie on her appointment. She has extensive public transport experience to draw on and her leadership has been of immense value during what has been a period of significant growth and change for our region’s Metro network.

“With further expansions on the horizon, Sophie’s commitment to delivering outstanding service is laudable and aligns perfectly with our goal of providing a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable transport offering here in the West Midlands.

“I very much hope local people benefit tremendously in the months and years ahead as a result.”

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.