John Smith, the MD and founder of GB Railfreight (GBRf) has been appointed as the new CEO of its parent company the Hector Rail Group.

Hector Rail, an independent train haulage provider established in 2004, is based in Sweden but also operates in Norway, Denmark and Germany. Clients include industrial shippers, forwarders, intermodal operators and traditional rail companies.

Driving force

Since setting up GBRf in 1999, Smith has been a driving force in its success. He brings to the role more than 33 years’ experience in the rail industry, including top positions at British Rail and Anglia Railways in the UK. In late 2016 GBRf became part of Hector Rail, which itself is part of EQT Infrastructure II, a Swedish private equity group.

Bo Lerenius, Chairman of Hector Rail, said: “With a solid background of developing and growing companies, John Smith has full insight of the challenges and opportunities that Hector Rail Group currently faces. The board is confident that John’s clear customer perspective and strong leadership will drive Hector Rail Group to become the leading independent pan-European rail freight operator.”

‘Fantastic opportunity’

Smith, whose predecessor Joakim Landholm stepped down in December for personal reasons.  added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to build on what we started with GBRf, and to bring the knowledge that I have gained to the group. To continue to demonstrate the importance of rail freight in sustainable economic growth. I feel there are significant opportunities for closer cooperation between the operators across Europe, and I hope to be the voice for that effort.”