Brussels, 7 January 2019. The Board of Directors at Thalys has announced the appointment of Bertrand Gosselin as the company’s new CEO. Mr Gosselin is currently Director of the Paris Rive Gauche region at SNCF Mobilités, with responsibility, in particular, for the RER C commuter line. He will replace Agnès Ogier, who will rejoin the SNCF Group - a shareholder in Thalys - as Director General of Brand and Communications for the group.
“We’re pleased to welcome Bertrand Gosselin to Thalys to drive forward our ambitions for the company, a flagship of European rail. His experience with the challenges relating to public transport quality will be invaluable for Thalys, which has always put its passengers at the centre of its activities. Quality is vital for a European transport system that is sustainable and respectful of the environment and creates value, both for its customers and for the areas that it operates in. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I’d like to thank Agnès Ogier and her team and congratulate them for having made Thalys the company that it is today”. - Sophie Dutordoir, Chair of the Thalys Board of Directors
“My thanks go to Agnès Ogier, who has headed up the company for the past four years, as well as the entire Thalys team for their work and the excellent results that they have achieved. The gamble of transforming Thalys into a railway undertaking has fully paid off: the network has been extended, there is growth on all of our routes, we’ve revamped our services to offer greater flexibility - including the creation of our “Izy” low-cost trains - and right now we’re putting the final touches on our newly-designed trains in our workshops. 2018 was a record year, with a 5% increase in traffic across the network. I have high hopes for the future. Many challenges lie ahead for Bertrand Gosselin and I’m pleased to welcome him to the world of European high-speed rail!” - Rachel Picard, Managing Director, Voyages SNCF
Since 1996, Thalys has held three guiding principles for shaping the world of tomorrow: intercultural cooperation, freedom of movement and the requirement for sustainable development. I am proud to do my part to uphold these principles in what will be a pivotal year for Thalys. Our plans are ambitious: three new services, a complete renewal of our fleet and plans for growth on all of our routes. In the process, we will continue to build a Thalys to respond to the expectations of future passengers. - Bertrand Gosselin, CEO of Thalys
Bertrand Gosselin’s move to Thalys marks a resumption of his international career. Between 1992 and 1994, he worked at Rail Europe España, helping to create a direct distribution subsidiary of SNCF in Madrid. Then, between 1997 and 1999, he worked for SNCF TGV mainline services, where he led pricing for high-speed trains between Brussels and the provinces.
(Source: Thalys)
