Who got that job?

By STEVE HART

JOB TITLE: Manager, contracts and projects, Connex

Nicholas French's job helping to change the way London Underground was managed and operated was instrumental in him joining rail company Connex.

He is helping the firm to meet its rail service obligations by working with organisations, such as the ARC, which owns and manages the stations and track.

"Part of my job is to look for things that can affect our ability to deliver the rail services our customers expect," says French.

Speaking during his second week in the job, the 31-year-old Auckland University business administration graduate says he is reviewing agreements as part of a team to ensure that Connex will meet its obligations to the ARC when it takes over operations later in the year.

French, who comes from a management background, says his work helping London Underground to set up a public-private partnership, which involved splitting the Tube network into three privately owned maintenance companies, helped him to land the job with Connex.

"In London, I was involved right through the process of setting up, negotiating and managing the contracts, so I have a fair bit of experience in this type of work."

His biggest challenge in his new job is delivering a rail service that people want to use.

"A real step up is needed to get our rail service to a position where we want it to be. It needs to have improvements made so that it is an effective service for more people to use.

"By meeting our obligations and by improving performance, Connex is looking at giving a better rail service to Auckland."

Before leaving New Zealand for London in 2000, French was a project manager at Works Infrastructure, handling contracts worth $4.5 million a year.

Before that, he was a business analyst with the firm.

His first job after returning from London was with Stream Information, part of the Vector group, where he worked on providing metering systems to help industry to make more efficient use of electricity.

French's hobbies include diving and fishing.

"I enjoy getting out on the water. My wife and I have also bought some land that is planted out in olive trees so developing that is taking up a lot of my spare time."