THE A1 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE TRUST APPOINTS NEW CHAIRMAN
David Champion resigns due to family and business reasons.
The trustees of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the registered charity that is building the first new mainline steam locomotive in Britain for 40 years at a cost of over £1.7 million, today announced it had appointed a new chairman following the resignation of David Champion, its chairman for the past eight years and project manager for the previous two years. Mark Allatt, Marketing Director of the Trust for the past six years will replace David Champion who is standing down for business reasons and care for his wife Gill, who is seriously ill.
Commenting on his appointment, Mark Allatt said: “The Trust is greatly saddened by David’s decision to stand down but completely understands his reasons for doing so. David, supported by his wife Gill, has been the powerhouse behind the Trust for the past 10 years and he will be greatly missed by not only those of us on the board but all who have come into contact with him during this pioneering period. David has left behind a great legacy. Tornado is now over 50% complete and is expected to be on its wheels by the autumn. Our focus for the next few months will be on growing our income and preparing to start construction of the boiler.”
David Champion added: “I couldn’t be passing the Trust over into more capable hands and I’m delighted that Mark has taken up the appointment.”
Mark, aged 34, is a professional marketer. He is Marketing Director of GVA Grimley, international property advisers, a former Head of Marketing for KPMG Consulting, one of the worlds leading management and IT consultancies and a former Head of Corporate Communications for Cap Gemini UK, Europe’s largest IT services company. He has been a covenantor to The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust since its launch and a member of its management team since 1991. He is also a member of the Gresley Society and The A4 Locomotive Society.