Mark John Thurston (born 2 January 1967)
is a British electrical engineer and businessman. He was chief executive of the
High Speed 2 railway construction project from March 2017 to September 2023.
Early life
Thurston was born in the
London Borough of Sutton. He has a younger brother (born 1969).
He lived in Carshalton, Surrey and attended
The Wallington High School for Boys in his senior school years.
From the
College of North West London in 1983–1987 he gained a
Higher National Certificate A Higher National Certificate (HNC), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is a higher education/further education qualification in the United Kingdom.
Overview
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the HNC is a BTEC qualificatio ...
in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He attended
Loughborough University
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
from 1999 to 2001 gaining an MSc in Engineering Management.
In 2021, the University awarded him an
honorary degree of Doctor of Technology.
Career
Thurston began his career as an apprentice with
Transport for London. He later worked for
Metronet. In June 2008, he joined
CH2M
CH2M, earlier CH2M Hill, was an engineering company that provided consulting, design, construction, and operations services for corporations and governments. The company was organized in Corvallis, Oregon, and headquartered at 9191 South Jamaic ...
as head of structures, bridges and highways, working on both
Crossrail and
London 2012.
On 26 January 2017 Thurston was appointed chief executive of
High Speed 2. In 2022-2023 he was the highest paid of all UK public sector employees. Thurston went on to become the longest serving chief executive for High Speed 2, and stayed on until 2023 when he announced his resignation and then left the project in September of that year.
Thurston was appointed as visiting professor of Complex Project and Programme Leadership at his
alma mater, Loughborough University, in 2021.
Personal life
Thurston lives in
Coulsdon, Surrey. He married Amanda Warrilow in April 1994. They have two daughters (born June 1996 and September 1998).
See also
* Sir
David Higgins, Chairman of HS2
*
High-speed rail in the United Kingdom
References
External links
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Mark
1967 births
Living people
People educated at Wallington County Grammar School
Alumni of Loughborough University
British rail transport chief executives
High Speed 2
People from Coulsdon
People from the London Borough of Sutton