David Leeder

David Leeder has over twenty years of top-level experience in the bus and rail sectors as director, CEO, transport planner and economist.

He was CEO of the UK's largest regional bus network outside London - West Midlands Travel, Managing Director of the UK Bus Division of First Group plc and Executive and Main Board Director at National Express Group and First Group respectively. He has considerable experience outside the UK, identifying and leading rail and bus deals in the UK, EU (Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Denmark), Turkey and North America. He was Chairman of Altram LRT - the PPP company that designed, built and operated Midland Metro Line 1.

He has advised the UK Department of Transport across the full range of UK transport policy, including rail, from 1999-2011, and has been a Director of the holding companies for the majority of the UK's train operating companies, as well as bus and rail operations in Europe, North America and Australia, as well as GB Railfreight.

As a strategy advisor, David Leeder has provided high-level advice and analysis to a variety of global listed companies, banks, governments, infrastructure funds, and private equity investors in relation to strategy and investment in transport, supporting deals in the UK, EU, Turkey, the Middle East and USA. Notable projects include:

  • the sale of a UK rail rolling stock portfolio to a global infrastructure fund
  • the privatisation of UK High Speed 1 Rail
  • the sale of an Asian express bus network to a private equity fund
  • the sale of a US bus group to a private equity fund
  • the sale of an EU bus company to a private equity fund
  • the technology and economics of electric bus transition, batteries, operations and assets finance
  • the funding of electric bus assets [buses, charging equipment and batteries] in the UK
  • the regulation of ride share apps in the Middle East
  • due diligence advisor on sale of an EU bus company to an infrastructure fund

David Leeder is a Past President of the UK bus industry trade association The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), a past Vice-Chairman of the Department for Transport's strategic advisory group – the Commission for Integrated Transport (1999-2010).