Businessman and K&ESR volunteer Derrick Bilsby has been elected as the new Chairman of the Kent & East Sussex Railway. He replaces Simon Marsh who announced his retirement at the beginning of November.
In addition, Andy Papworth has been elected Deputy Chairman and Ian Legg is the K&ESR's new Finance Director, following the retirement of longstanding FD Geoff Crouch.
Derrick Bilsby runs a successful business serving the rail and bus industry and has been a member of the K&ESR for more than 50 years, after first volunteering as a school boy. His mission is to enhance the K&ESR’s resilience and relevance as the railway approaches the much-anticipated extension to Robertsbridge.
Two new officers were also co-opted to the Colonel Stephens Railway Enterprises (CSRE) Board: Patrick Favell who already chairs the K&ESR Project Assessment Committee, and Julie Wilkinson who brings considerable not-for-profit marketing experience to the K&ESR and has been a volunteer since 2022.
Derrick paid tribute to both Simon Marsh and Geoff Crouch who he said had brought the K&ESR through a very difficult period, including the pandemic and its commercial fall out, and that he looked forward to building on their legacy.