Road Safety GB appoints business manager

Alan Kennedy, currently road safety manager for Durham County Council, has been appointed to the post of business and operations manager for Road Safety GB.

The appointment is a significant landmark for Road Safety GB as it is the first time it has recruited a paid executive to manage the organisation on a day-to-day basis. Road Safety GB currently operates through a structure of volunteers who provide their time with the support of their local authority employers.

A past chair of Road Safety GB, Alan Kennedy has been working in road safety for more than 25 years. He began his career as a part time motorcycle instructor in South Tyneside in 1988. He then worked his way up through the local authority road safety officer ranks and gained the Diploma and Accident and Safety Management in 1994. He became senior road safety officer in South Tyneside in 1995.

He moved to Durham in 2000 to manage the council’s road safety section which delivers a varied programme of road safety initiatives.

He has always been very much involved in road safety at a regional and national level. He chaired Road Safety GB North East Region from 2001 until 2007 and served as national chairman from April 2009 until November 2013.

When in post, Alan will assume day-to-day responsibility for the activities of Road Safety GB, its academic and training arm the Academy, and the further development of the Road Safety Knowledge Centre.

Alan’s role will include developing a business strategy and creating a delivery plan to ensure Road Safety GB is best positioned to achieve its aims of promoting and sharing good road safety practice, and supporting road safety professionals and the wider community to help to reduce casualties.

The recruitment panel was headed up by Honor Byford, chair of Road Safety GB, who said: “I am delighted to say that, following an exhaustive recruitment process, the recruitment panel unanimously agreed to appoint Alan Kennedy as Road Safety GB’s first business & operations manager.

 “The post was advertised internally on our website – where it was viewed more than 1,300 times – and on the Guardian third sector recruitment website. We had significant interest in the post, both from within the road safety profession and from a range of people with other public, private and charity sector backgrounds.

“Alan’s knowledge, enthusiasm and previous road safety and commercial business achievements made him the outstanding candidate and we have no doubt that he will do a fantastic job for Road Safety GB.”

Alan Kennedy said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been offered this role.  It is a great opportunity, and one that I will grasp with both hands. 

“Road Safety GB is a great organisation that is supported by many wonderful people. 

“We will be in a much better position to take Road Safety GB much further and to provide support to our colleagues in the road safety profession. I am committed to the role and will give it 100%.”