Toby J France
Head of Commercial @Arriva UK Bus
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WORK HISTORY
Head of Commercial @Arriva UK Bus
Leicester, GB
Driving the commercial performance of our business deploying over 550 vehicles from 9 operating centres on networks across Shropshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire into Warwickshire and the West Midlands, Milton Keynes and Luton; delivering sustainable commercial plans and strategies to instigate revenue and EBIT growth, and mitigate costs to ensure successful delivery against targets. Owner of the commercial relationship with key stakeholders including our local transport authority partners, from working with Officers and Elected Members to sitting on 13 Enhanced Partnership Boards; Leader of a team of Network Managers and Schedulers with responsibility for designing and developing the network proposition; Responsible for ensuring our ticket products and pricing strategy are optimised for the local market, I maximise our return whilst also seeking out new contract opportunities and managing our tender strategy.For 12 months through the Coronavirus pandemic I also took on interim responsibility for our Hertfordshire network, bringing my total area of responsibility to some 650 vehicles across 12 depots.
EDUCATION
Loughborough University
BA (Hons), Industrial Design & Technology with Education
SKILLS
ABOUT TOBY J FRANCE
When I was about 4 years old my Nan took me for a day out by bus; I was fascinated, and so my journey began.At 18 I wrote to every bus operator in the Yellow Pages asking for work experience. This led me to Pete\'s Travel, at the time the largest independent bus operator in the West Midlands; not only did they give me a bona fide job, they gave me the \'bus bug\' and set me on course for my future career.Since then I\'ve gained a wealth of experience in the passenger transport sector, working in businesses both large and small. I\'ve developed a proactive \'hands on\' approach to management and leadership, exciting and engaging members of my team whilst not being afraid to get stuck in myself.My degree studies equipped me with the ability to be analytical as well as creative; no matter how thorough the forward-planning may be there are always unexpected situations to overcome in our industry, and I am well practiced in thinking on my feet to solve complex problems quickly, calmly, and with minimum disruption to our customers.I\'ve sought out opportunities and negotiated contracts, planned networks and written timetables, managed staff and managed change, spent late nights and early mornings helping the Engineers put vehicles back together that we needed to make PVR the next morning… and even driven a few buses too!Along the way I’ve gained professional qualification in the form of a Transport Manager’s CPC, and become a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport as well as a Chartered Manager accredited by CMI.I\'ve also had opportunity to work in a Local Authority Transport Department, which gave me valuable insight into the politics and practicalities of the public sector and local government, as well as the chance to work with Elected Members.
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