Christopher Rodrigues has been appointed as the new chairman of the Port of London Authority (PLA) with effect from 1 January 2016.
He will succeed Dame Helen Alexander, who has been PLA chairman since January 2010, as her statutory term of appointment comes to an end.
“I am proud of the PLA’s achievements over the last six years, helping the Thames to be the busiest and safest it’s ever been,” said outgoing chairman Dame Alexander.
“We’ve seen a transformation of river use. Last year modern day records were set with nearly 10m passengers travelling and over 5mt of freight moved between wharves.
“Now the PLA is looking to the future of the river and estuary. The Thames Vision project has identified great potential. The PLA executive team, supported by Christopher, will have the exciting challenge of bringing it to fruition.”
Rodrigues, whose appointment was confirmed by the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, joins the PLA following a career in the financial and tourism sectors.
He is a graduate of Cambridge University and the Harvard Business School. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey in recognition of his work in the tourism industry.
He was previously president and chief executive of Visa International and chief executive of UK companies Bradford & Bingley and Thomas Cook.
“The River Thames is the beating heart of the greatest city in the world. It has been part of my life for over 50 years, first as a schoolboy oarsman on the Tideway, then as a member of two winning Cambridge Boat Race Crews and subsequently as chairman of Leander Club, a steward of Henley Royal Regatta and a craft owning freeman of the Waterman’s Company,” said Rodrigues.
The PLA is a self-financing organisation, set-up by an Act of Parliament in 1909 to run the tidal River Thames in trust for future generations.
Its 350-strong workforce oversees navigational safety and river operations on 95 miles of the tidal Thames from Teddington Lock, through the capital, and out to the sea.
