Pete Wilkinson

Peter is the Managing Director and an owning-partner of First Class Partnerships. A former railway managing and commercial director and board member of one of the world’s leading financial institutions, Peter is a leading strategy advisor to both public and private sector rail organisations throughout Europe, Australasia and the Middle East, specialising in the restructuring of rail industry structures and their commercialisation. He has been instrumental in the market entry of corporate entities into the rail industry across Europe.

Peter was Lead Advisor to Deutsche Bank and Lloyds TSB in the successful acquisitions of their equity stakes in both Angel Trains and Porterbrook Leasing.

He was the lead rail advisor appointed by to Deutsche Bahn to assist with their UK market entry strategy and their acquisition of Chiltern Franchise, along with their stakes in the London Rail Concession and the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway.

Peter has been the lead commercial and strategic advisor to a number of UK rail concessions and franchises and was instrumental in the successful awards of the Integrated Kent Franchise to GoVia, The Cross Country Franchise to Arriva Plc, the West Midlands Franchise to GoVia, the London Rail Concession to the Laing/MTR Joint Venture and the Stockholm Metro for the MTR Corporation.

Peter is also a co-owner and Director of Renaissance Trains Limited, the Open Access promoter behind Hull Trains and the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway in which he remains an investor/shareholder.

Peter was instrumental in the start up and establishment of Raileasy, the Industry’s 2nd largest on-line ticket and reservations web retailer and remains a shareholder.

Peter was previously appointed by the UK Department for Transport as Chief Negotiator for the complex exit negotiations and commercial restructuring of a number of key UK franchises. This involved tri-partite negotiations between DfT, Network Rail and a large train operating owning group. Previously, Peter led for the government, the re-franchising of the Greater Anglia, South Eastern and InterCity East Coast rail franchises in the UK, both of which are now very successful and financially strong franchises.

Internationally, Peter advises a range of rail transport authorities and train operating companies in countries including Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Sweden, Denmark, Argentina, Poland, Hungary and other central and eastern European transport authorities.

Peter is recognised for having assisted a number of foreign investment and operating companies successfully enter the UK and other commercialised rail markets in Europe, including the Danish state railway (DSB), SNCF, Deutsche Bahn and the Hong Kong MTR-Corporation.

Prior to a break from the UK rail sector, during which he worked on the world’s financial markets as a Board member with a multi-national financial services group, Peter had worked in Britain’s railways for several years, starting within the London Underground. Peter has held a number of very senior industry posts, having pursued a career in general management with an emphasis on the commercial activities and industry structures underpinning financially viable rail operations and culminating in a key role in the preparation for privatisation and sale of a number of the British Railways Board’s train operating and engineering businesses.
 
In 1998 Peter was appointed a member of the Labour Government’s Finance and Industry Group. This influential body of industrialists exists to advise members of The Cabinet and very senior civil servants on matters relating to the definition of industrial and economic policy and the implications of implementation.

Peter is Chairman of London’s Borough Market which is Britain’s most important retail and wholesale market for fine foods and winner of
•    The Evening Standard London's Best Shopping Experience Award
•    The Evening Standard London's Best Market Award
•    The NABMA (National Association of British Market Authorities) Best Specialty Market 2008 Award
•    The Observer Food Magazine's 'Best Market in the Country'

Peter has an Honours degree in Industrial Science that he took at the University of Sheffield in 1984. He is also a master’s graduate of the renowned French AXA owned University of business management in Bordeaux, having completed a 2 year programme in financial and risk management.

Peter lives in Vienna, Austria but works from his base in London during each week.