Eurostar has appointed the boss of delivery firm Yodel as its new chief executive.
Mike Cooper will join the cross-Channel rail operator on March 12.
He is replacing Nicolas Petrovic, who is to become chief executive of engineering and technology company Siemens in France.
Mike Cooper is the new boss of Eurostar (Eurostar/PA)
Before joining Yodel, Mr Cooper led Arriva’s European transport business with responsibility for rail, bus and trams across 13 countries.
He also held senior positions at airline easyJet and Portland Travel, part of the Thomson Travel Group.
Eurostar chairman Clare Hollingsworth 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.”
- London to Paris: Two hours and 12 minutes
- London to Brussels: Two hours and one minute
- London to Lille: One hour and 22 minutes
Under the leadership of Mr Petrovic during the past seven years, Eurostar has introduced a new fleet of trains and extended its route network to destinations such as Marseille.
In November the operator marked the 10th anniversary of its service from London’s St Pancras International.
Passenger numbers have risen from 8.3 million in 2007 to 10 million in 2016.
A Eurostar spokesman said: “The board of Eurostar would like to thank Nicolas for his considerable contribution and to wish him every success in his new role.”