The Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall (EKFB) joint venture is responsible for building the central section of high-speed rail link.

Sally Cox will join EKFB as managing director in December. There will be a short transition period with incumbent managing director Mark Pengelly, before he retires from the role at the end of the year.

The new managing director was recently project director for the Tideway West tunnel in London. Prior to her work on Tideway, she was managing director for Hochtief UK Construction and project director for several significant rail projects in Australia.

EKFB is responsible for the delivery of civil engineering works between the North Chilterns and South Warwickshire, one of the longest sections of HS2.  This includes 81 bridges, 15 viaducts and more than 5km of cut and cover tunnels.

Kier chief executive Andrew Davies, who is also non-executive chairman of EKFB, said: “Sally has a hugely impressive track record of delivering major infrastructure projects wherever she has gone, and that experience made her an ideal choice for this role.

“I would once again like to thank Mark Pengelly for his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best for his retirement.”

Sally Cox said: “It’s an engineer’s dream to work on a project of this scale and magnitude and I am looking forward to working collaboratively with all the JV partners, our supply chain and client to deliver around 80km of civil engineering excellence.”

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