Railpen: Chief Financial Officer retirement and appointment

10 January 2024

Railpen, fiduciary and investment manager of the £34 billion railway pension schemes, would like to announce that Stu Blackett, our Chief Financial Officer, and an Executive Director, will be stepping down from the role on 8 January 2024, and retiring from the organisation in April 2024.

Stu has worked for Railpen since 2001 and, in recent years, has focused on supporting transformation, helping us to build stronger foundations on which Railpen can successfully deliver on its purpose to secure our members’ future.

John Chilman, Chief Executive, said:

“Stu has always been a passionate and committed member of the Railpen family. He has worked for Railpen since 2001 and, most recently, has been instrumental in helping with the transformation of our business in terms of our culture, our approach to risk management, and ensuring we continue to deliver our purpose to secure our members’ future. We wish Stu every success in the future.”

Commenting on his retirement, Stu said:

“I would like to thank all my colleagues, past and present, who supported me throughout my 23 years with the organisation. Railpen has been, and always will be, like a family to me. I am proud of the things we have achieved together and knowing that I have contributed towards those.

I leave behind a stronger organisation, with a clear and important purpose, delivered by talented colleagues. I wish Railpen and the railway pensions schemes every success in the future.”

After a comprehensive search, Maura Sullivan has been appointed to succeed Stu as Chief Financial Officer. Maura has sat on the Railpen Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director, since 2022. In this role, she has worked with many colleagues across Railpen, and importantly, has seen first-hand the work Railpen does to achieve its purpose.

Maura has over 25 years of experience in Finance, and including most recently as Deputy Group CFO at Quilter plc where she led the transformation of the Finance function and significantly improved insight and decision support capabilities around business performance.

During her career, Maura held CFO and Executive Director roles during 12 years at Credit Suisse UK Private Bank and Credit Suisse Asset Management Ltd, the UK arms of the global Credit Suisse International Wealth Management divisions. Maura has also held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase.

John Chilman, Chief Executive, said:

“As well as being a highly experienced Executive and non-Executive on several boards, Maura has a deep belief in the importance of our purpose and an evidenced passion for developing talent and future leaders. We’re delighted she will be joining the Railpen Board as an Executive director from 8 January 2024.”

Source: Railpen