London's 1000 most influential people 2012: Power Rangers, Infrastructure

The newly re-elected Mayor has been one of the big winners in this Olympic year, while the coalition Government struggles with a weak economy and internal doubts. But there is no lack of ambition from a new generation of young leaders at Westminster. The capital is changing fast too, with a raft of infrastructure projects in the pipeline.
INFRASTRUCTURE Peter Hendy Ph: Rebecca Reid
Ph: Rebecca Reid
8 November 2012

Peter Hendy
Transport commissioner
Hard-nosed former bus driver who rose to head London’s transport system. Pulled off a major feat when the network ran smoothly during the Olympics: the biggest transport failure was when the Mayor got stuck on a zip-wire. But big challenges lie ahead with bringing in driverless trains and the inevitable fall-out with the unions. A master tactician who (mostly) manages to persuade Boris to do things his way. However, he is increasingly coming under pressure to tackle the institutional bureaucracy that is Transport for London.

Terry Morgan
Crossrail chairman
Amiable ex-Tube boss from South Wales was recently reappointed as chair of Europe’s largest construction project. Two massive tunnel boring machines are currently working around the clock at the start of a programme that will create 13 miles of east-west tunnels, six new Tube stations and link Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex.

Colin Matthews
British Airports Authority chief executive
Matthews breathed a huge sigh of relief when Olympic athletes flew home trouble-free after setting new records for Heathrow comings and goings. Now all the no-nonsense former British Airways executive must do is convince the Government a third runway is the only option to address London’s shortage of aviation capacity.

Paul Deighton
Commercial secretary to the Treasury-elect
After his success as chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, the unflappable, low-key former Goldman Sachs banker is soon to join the Government as the commercial secretary to the Treasury. How does the man who displayed such organisational zeal during the Olympics follow that? By helping to push through the Government’s infrastructure plan.

Baroness Valentine
London First chief executive
Impressive former banker who is now a hard-working advocate for making the capital a better place to do business. Jo Valentine’s pull-no-punches style is brought to bear when lobbying for her high-powered members. Getting government support for Crossrail is among her greatest achievements. Her sights are now firmly trained on Heathrow expansion. Third runway campaigners should be afraid.

Neale Coleman
Mayor’s Adviser on London 2012
The long-serving Mayoral adviser on the Games is now focused on legacy as he looks to ensure that the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome and Aquatics Centre are put to good use. There will be 8,000 new homes on the site with almost 3,000 in the former Olympic Village, and Coleman is tipped for a role at the London Legacy Development Corporation, the Mayor’s agency in charge of the Park.

Mike Brown
London Underground managing director
Tube supremo whose affable exterior hides a steely core as he operates in the face of constant union hostility. He is proud to have 40 per cent fewer delays on the Tube now compared with 2007/08. But passengers want to see the system run as well as it did during the Olympic Games. Faces impossible juggling act as the Mayor wants driverless trains while the unions reject the idea.

Leon Daniels
Transport for London surface transport managing director
Shares, with Peter Hendy, the Olympic accolades for keeping the roads more or less open during the Games. Also took on the Unite union when it demanded £500 a time for 20,000 London bus staff during the Olympics — whether they actually worked or not. There was no strike but staff got their cash, so the result was a score draw. Now has to roll out the new Boris bus.

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