Bus company Stagecoach has appointed Philip Norwell as the new managing director of its east Kent and East Sussex operations.

It follows the retirement of Paul Southgate, who has been in the bus industry since 1973, and held a number of senior posts with Stagecoach since 1989.

Philip has worked in the bus industry for 39 years since starting out as a general clerk in Peterborough in 1974. He was then a bus driver for 18 years before joining the Cambridge head office as marketing officer in 1997, progressing to commercial manager and then his most recent role of commercial director in 2002.

Philip’s new job will put him in the driving seat of a company which employs over 1,250 staff at eight depots across the region and operates a fleet of 450 buses and coaches which carry over 46 million passengers a year.

Philip said: “I aim to encourage further simplification of the highly successful bus networks in east Kent and East Sussex, expand smart ticketing and work with partners including local authorities and businesses to ensure the bus plays a key role in planning for the future.”