The main functions of the Office, headed by the Director, are to advise the Arbiter on the directions and guidance he gives and to ensure that there is sufficient understanding of the PPP Agreements and of Good Industry Practice to enable that advice be given in a timely and authoritative way. The Office also documents directions and guidance, instructs external advisers, monitors performance of the PPP Agreements and commissions research on relevant and emerging issues.

The current structure of the Office is set out below:

 

Biographies

Chris Bolt CB - The Arbiter

Chris Bolt was appointed as the statutory Arbiter for the London Underground Public-Private Partnership Agreements in December 2002, an appointment which has been extended until June 2011.

An economist, his career has focussed on economic regulation and has included senior roles in both the public and private sectors. He was part of the team which privatised the water industry in 1989 and then became Head of Economic Regulation at Ofwat. He moved to ORR in a similar role in 1994 and was Rail Regulator from December 1998 to July 1999. Between 1999 and 2002, he was Regulation and Corporate Affairs Director at Transco plc and then Group Director, Regulation and Public Policy at its parent company, Lattice Group plc. He was the first Chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation, serving from July 2004 to July 2009.

Chris Bolt was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2010 New Year Honours.

Gaynor Mather - Director

Gaynor Mather joined the Arbiter's Office as its Director in June 2003. Gaynor has 14 years' railway experience gained with London Underground, where she was employed in a range of planning and operational roles. Prior to her appointment as Director, Gaynor was General Manager PPP for London Underground and in this post was closely involved in the development and negotiation of the PPP Agreements.

Advisers and technical staff

James Le Couilliard (Commercial Adviser) joined the Office in July 2003, and was previously a Director specialising in transport PPPs in the Infrastructure, Government and Utilities division of PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance. He originally joined Price Waterhouse in 1987 where he trained as a Chartered Accountant and has broad experience of corporate finance work in a range of infrastructure companies. Immediately prior to joining the Office, James was part of the PwC team advising London Underground and Government on the PPP Agreements.

Peter Dickinson (Technical Adviser) joined the Office in August 2008 from the energy regulator Ofgem, where he worked for eight years as a Technical Adviser. Prior to joining Ofgem he worked in a number of engineering and management roles, mostly in the energy sector. He is a Chartered Engineer with a broad range of experience in regulatory, engineering and management environments.

Elise Weeder (Economic Adviser) joined the Office in May 2007 from the Infrastructure, Government and Utilities division of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where she spent 2 years as a Manager providing economic, strategic and financial advice in relation to transport projects, including the London Underground PPP. Immediately prior to joining PwC, Elise spent 3 years as an Economist at the Office of Rail Regulation, where she was part of the core team undertaking the 2003 access charges review.

Helen German (Technical Manager) joined the Office in April 2007 from an economic consulting background. She began her career as a graduate trainee at SQW Economic and Social Research Consultants and progressed to consultant. Prior to this, Helen graduated in Economics from Nottingham University in 2003 and worked for a year at the Law Society.