Balfour Beatty has named Richard Watts as the next managing director of its UK Rail business.
He will join the company later this year before formally stepping into the role in January 2026.
Watts is currently rail sector director at BAM Nuttall, where he is responsible for the delivery and performance of national rail frameworks, in addition to overseeing the company’s highways operations.
He brings two decades of experience in the rail sector and has held senior leadership roles at TXM Plant, High Speed 2 Ltd, Colas Rail and Network Rail.
He will succeed Mick Rayner, who has spent more than 27 years at Balfour Beatty and has led the rail business since 2018.
Rayner will remain in post until the end of 2025, after which he will move into a part-time role as senior adviser. He will continue to support the rail division following the handover.
Stephen Tarr, Balfour Beatty group sector lead for UK energy and divisional chief executive of its Power Transmission & Distribution, Rail and Kilpatrick businesses, said Watts’ “experience and in-depth knowledge of major rail project delivery” would support the division’s forward momentum and help ensure the safe delivery of high-quality rail infrastructure across the UK.
Watts said he was “honoured” to join the business and looked forward to working alongside Rayner and the existing leadership team.
“This is a pivotal time as Great British Railways begins to reshape the industry,” he said. “I look forward to helping grow and strengthen what is already a fantastic business as we deliver the next chapter of the UK’s rail network.”
Balfour Beatty employs 1,500 people in its UK Rail business and delivers services across the entire project lifecycle, including the design, enhancement and maintenance of rail infrastructure. The company is a longstanding contractor on major programmes for Network Rail and Transport for London.
In February, Balfour Beatty was reappointed to Network Rail’s eight-year Supply Chain Services framework. The contract includes the supply, operation and maintenance of high-performance tamping machines used in track renewals and maintenance projects across England, Scotland and Wales.
Balfour Beatty said it expects to maintain a strong pipeline of work in rail, energy and transport over the coming years, with its UK business increasingly focused on long-term public sector frameworks and regulated markets.
Source: Balfour Beatty announcement
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Colin Marrs