New Managing Directors appointed

Go-Ahead has appointed Matt Ashton as Managing Director of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus; and Matt Kitchin as Managing Director of East Yorkshire. Both appointments will take effect during the summer of 2026.

Matt Ashton will become the Managing Director of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus following a stint as Interim Managing Director at East Yorkshire. During his time in East Yorkshire, Matt has provided strong leadership through a period of transition, while maintaining a clear focus on reliability and operational performance for customers. Matt previously served as Operations Director at Go North West, where he played a key role in delivering high-performing services. Matt now brings this experience to Brighton, which has the highest rate of public transport use outside of London and is widely recognised for its innovation, leadership in accessibility and high levels of customer satisfaction.

Matt Kitchin joins Go-Ahead from Stagecoach, where he was most recently Managing Director of their Yorkshire business. He brings more than two decades of experience in the bus industry, having begun his career in buses in 2002. Matt brings valuable knowledge of Go-Ahead to his role, having served as General Manager for Southern Vectis and then at Bluestar between 2012 and 2016. Matt’s wealth of experience within Yorkshire and the wider industry positions him well to lead East Yorkshire in continuing to deliver for customers across the region.

Martin Dean, Managing Director, UK Regional Bus, Go-Ahead, said: “Strong operational leadership is the cornerstone of delivering high-quality services for the customers and communities we serve, and these are two excellent appointments for Go-Ahead. Matt Ashton has been an outstanding leader at East Yorkshire, and he will do a brilliant job in his new role. Matt Kitchin brings over 20 years of experience in the bus industry and a deep understanding of our business from his previous time with Go-Ahead. I’d also like to thank Rupert Cox for his exceptional work in supporting the team at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus as interim Managing Director.”

Full details of Go-Ahead’s Operating Company Leadership can be found at https://www.go-ahead.com/who-we-are/people/leadership/.