Who's in charge of Heathrow?
Discussion
Having seen Mr Hopeless interviewed on TV in his little yellow fluorescent jacket I was wondering which stone he had been hiding under. Times online tells us,
"Colin Matthews is the technocrats’ troubleshooter. The former chief executive of Hays and Severn Trent has a reputation for being a technician and a safe pair of hands, ideal for BAA where regulatory complexity goes hand in hand with an almost daily need for damage limitation.
"Sir Nigel Rudd, the chairman who was responsible for his appointment after a very discreet recruitment exercise, has not worked directly with him before. However, Mr Matthews is understood to have been recommended to Sir Nigel by Sir John Parker, the chairman of National Grid.
"In the last 11 years, Mr Matthews, an engineer by training, has spent no more than two years in any one job.
"Following a three-year stint at Bain, the management consultancy in the mid-80s, he has worked at General Electric, British Airways (where he managed Concorde's return to the air), Transco, Lattice, Hays and latterly water company Severn Trent.
"At Hays and Severn Trent, where he held chief executive roles he garnered a reputation for successfully breaking up companies. He demerged Hays’s mail business DX and at Severn Trent, demerged Biffa, its waste business.
"Mr Matthews is adept at profitably spinning off businesses."
Sounds to me as though he was tipped into the job on the old boy network. No wonder the UKs biggest airport is in such a shambles this week. Might be helpful if someone taught him how to use a spade and start digging!
"Colin Matthews is the technocrats’ troubleshooter. The former chief executive of Hays and Severn Trent has a reputation for being a technician and a safe pair of hands, ideal for BAA where regulatory complexity goes hand in hand with an almost daily need for damage limitation.
"Sir Nigel Rudd, the chairman who was responsible for his appointment after a very discreet recruitment exercise, has not worked directly with him before. However, Mr Matthews is understood to have been recommended to Sir Nigel by Sir John Parker, the chairman of National Grid.
"In the last 11 years, Mr Matthews, an engineer by training, has spent no more than two years in any one job.
"Following a three-year stint at Bain, the management consultancy in the mid-80s, he has worked at General Electric, British Airways (where he managed Concorde's return to the air), Transco, Lattice, Hays and latterly water company Severn Trent.
"At Hays and Severn Trent, where he held chief executive roles he garnered a reputation for successfully breaking up companies. He demerged Hays’s mail business DX and at Severn Trent, demerged Biffa, its waste business.
"Mr Matthews is adept at profitably spinning off businesses."
Sounds to me as though he was tipped into the job on the old boy network. No wonder the UKs biggest airport is in such a shambles this week. Might be helpful if someone taught him how to use a spade and start digging!
[quote=singlecoil][quote]
I am familiar with your work. Why don't you just blame the McCann family for the snow and leave it at that?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... are back&mid=28356
I am familiar with your work. Why don't you just blame the McCann family for the snow and leave it at that?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... are back&mid=28356
eliot said:
In the cold war how did the brits keep the runways clear of snow for the Vulcans?
Now that's a very fine question!Let's just hope no-one puts Matthews in charge of UK's strategic air defence.... After all, if he's never previously spent more than 2 years in a job it must be time for a change!
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