Following the resignation of Sir Chay Blyth as Chairman of First Great Western and appointment as Chairman of the First ScotRail advisory board, The board of First Great Western Trains has appointed consumer champion and West Country business leader Charles Howeson, to be its new chairman with effect from midday on Monday 19 November 2007.

A non-executive Director of the board since March 2007, Charles now brings a fresh and powerful consumer focus to the executive team, together with a well established grip on the West Country economic picture, and clear recognition of the importance of vital stakeholder relationships. He has a deep conviction that the railway is there to serve the people who live in and do business with the Western region of the UK.

He brings a wealth of commercial experience to the top job. Nationally, he is currently the Chairman of the UK Seafish Industry Authority and Chairman of the Consumer Council for Water for the Western Region, and in the private sector his lead appointment, within a range of non executive board level responsibilities, is as Chairman of the Cornwall based Rowe Group. He was for six years Chairman of Postwatch for the region and has recently stepped down after a very full four years of leading Plymouth’s now united business community.