Veolia Transportation CEO Mark Joseph and Transit Division President and COO Ken Westbrook, in a joint announcement, stated that Mike Murray has been appointed senior vice president, responsible for the Transit Division’s Northeast Region.
“Mike is an experienced business leader and innovator in our industry,” Joseph said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable to Veolia as we move forward, continuing to deliver on our mission of providing safe and reliable service to our clients and our passengers.”
In his new position Murray will be responsible for all transit contracts in the northeast including Veolia’s largest contracts for Nassau County, Boston Public Schools, and WMATA. He will also oversee the company’s Toronto-based contracts and future contracts in English-speaking Canada.
Prior to joining Veolia, Murray served as president and CEO of FirstGroup America, which includes First Student, First Transit, First Vehicle Services, First Services, First Mobile Technologies and Greyhound Lines. There he was responsible for revenues of $5 billion and nearly 100,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada. During his ten years at First, he was also president of First Student and First Transit, as well as deputy CEO and general counsel.
“Mike has a strong track record of improving operational performance, improving safety results and helping strengthen customer service,” Westbrook said. “Mike is known to thrive on accountability, high standards, passion for safety, and trust-based relationships.”
Murray’s academic history includes a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master’s Degree in Labor and Human Resources, and a Law Degree. Prior to his career in transit, he practiced corporate, labor and employment law and was corporate cunsel for Ryder, and a criminal investigator for the Department of Labor.