Eurostar, the high-speed rail service between the UK and mainland Europe, has announced the appointment of Mike Cooper, currently CEO of the delivery service firm, Yodel, as its new CEO. Mike will succeed Nicolas Petrovic who will be leaving Eurostar at the end of February to become CEO, Siemens, France.

Mike brings a wide range of experience and expertise to Eurostar having been CEO of Yodel and Deputy CEO and MD Mainland Europe of Arriva, where he led the European transport business with responsibility for rail, bus and trams across 13 countries. Prior to Arriva, Mike was Chief Commercial Officer of EasyJet from its flotation in 2000 until 2005.  Before EasyJet, he was MD, Portland Travel, part of the Thomson Travel Group. 
 
Over the last seven years under the leadership of Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar has introduced a new fleet of trains, extended its reach to new destinations and made a significant investment in its service. The Board of Eurostar would like to thank Nicolas for his considerable contribution and to wish him every success in his new role.
 

Clare Hollingsworth, Chairman of Eurostar, said: “We are delighted that Mike will be joining Eurostar as CEO as he brings a wealth of expertise to our business. With his strong track record of leading a major European transport business across multiple countries and his extensive experience of key consumer travel brands he is perfectly placed to lead the company into its next phase of growth”.

SNCF Mobilités, Patina, a consortium comprising Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”) and Hermes Infrastructure, and SNCB, the shareholders of Eurostar, would like to take this opportunity to thank Nicolas Petrovic for his valued guidance and contribution during his tenure and are very pleased to welcome Mike Cooper as the new CEO of Eurostar International. The shareholders are confident that with his strong experience, Mike will build on recent successes and consolidate the leadership of Eurostar in European high speed rail passenger services.
 
Mike Cooper will join Eurostar on Monday 12 March 2018.