Northern appoints new commercial and customer director to lead organisation’s drive for growth

From Monday (18 November), he will lead the train operator’s sales, marketing, commercial development and customer experience functions.

Hornby, who was born in Liverpool and now lives in Harrogate, studied transport management at Aston University in Birmingham. 

Prior to joining Northern, he worked for McGill’s, the UK’s largest privately-owned bus operator, where he was group managing director.

He has held a number of senior roles in the bus industry, including that of managing director and then chief executive of Transdev Blazefield between 2015 and 2023. He was also commercial director of trentbarton from 2010 to 2015.

Tricia Williams, managing director of Northern, said: “Alex has a brilliant track record of creating customer-centric services and products that grow demand.

“His experience in public transport, mostly in the commercial bus sector, will be a great addition to our director group and we’re thrilled to have him on-board.”

Commenting on his appointment, Alex Hornby said: “This is an incredible role and I’m excited to get started.

“With the support of colleagues across the network and the potential for growth in the region, I know we have the ability to power economic growth.

“We can also be a valued asset to our customers, supporting their communities and helping to generate prosperity across the North of England.”

In the role of commercial and customer director, Hornby replaces Mark Powles, who is leaving the train operator at the end of December after a handover period.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.