From pushing the boundaries of light rail innovation to safeguarding our passengers and building strong local connections, our leadership team is focused on delivering excellence across the network.

Executive Team 

Richard Graham, Managing Director

As Managing Director, Richard has overall responsibility for the KAD franchise, the strategic leadership of the KAD team, and ensuring the DLR’s outstanding performance is sustained as part of TfL’s integrated services.

Richard joined Keolis in 2017 as Vice President for Strategy and Performance in the Keolis Commuter Services operation in Boston, USA. Moving to Keolis UK in 2019 as Performance and Development Director, Richard was a member of the executive team and Board, including on the Board of directors for KeolisAmey operations in Wales and at KAD.

Before his time with Keolis, Richard spent 10 years in international business consultancy, leading major projects in the transport, infrastructure, and defence sectors. 

Nishal Patel, Finance and Information Security Director

As the Finance and Information Security Director, Nish manages the Franchise Agreement for KAD and ensures that the necessary resources and sub-contracts are in place and managed correctly.

Working with managers, he is responsible for developing and controlling KAD’s annual operating budget to ensure that all financial targets are met and compliance is maintained.

Martin Coppen, Engineering and Projects Director

As Engineering and Project Director, Martin is responsible for the physical assets of the Railway and manages both the Engineering and Projects teams. With more than 20 years of experience in signalling and engineering operations, Martin has a wealth of experience in engineering and project delivery across the rail industry.

Martin joined KAD in January 2022 from Alstom (formerly Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd), where he led signalling integration projects, most recently as a key delivery lead for the Central Operating Section of Crossrail. Before this, Martin worked for various rail companies, including Amey, Tube Lines, Metronet Rail, and London Underground.

Sam Murat, Customer and Community Director

As Customer and Community Director, Sam is responsible for leading the Customer Experience, Community, and Communications teams in their work for DLR’s passengers, local communities, and our external and internal audiences. She collaborates closely with our TfL colleagues and parent organisations.

Sam joined KAD in March 2023 from the McColl’s Retail Group, where she led Customer and Market Insight, CRM, Customer Service Contact Centre, and Customer Experience Design teams. Previously, Sam spent over five years working for Transport for London, our parent company, in senior roles within the customer experience and customer information areas. She has also worked at Eurostar, Sainsbury’s, and HSBC.

Harriet Owen, People Director

As People Director, Harriet is responsible for leading the HR, ED&I, and CT&E teams in their work for KAD colleagues throughout the business.

Harriet joined KAD in September 2024 and brings over 18 years of experience in HR, including working with and for several well-known transport organisations, such as Stagecoach, Keolis, Thales, East West Railway Company, and the Department for Transport. A notable success in her career to date was the substantial positive change she delivered in her role as the Head of Organisational Development and Business Change at Abellio East Anglia.

 

Steve Rigler, Commercial and Strategy Director

As Commercial and Strategy Director, Steve leads the development and execution of our commercial strategies to drive growth, efficiency, and meet our contractual obligations under the new franchise agreement. He is also developing and driving our innovation strategy.

Steve joined KAD in January 2025 and brings an operational, commercial, and legal background, along with a wealth of experience in commercial best practices within regulated, asset-intensive industries. He has previously worked as Chief Operating Officer at Fluenta, Director of Commercial Contracts at Inmarsat, and Head of Contracts at Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine.

Andy Wallace, HQSE Director 

As HSQE Director, Andy leads the embedding of our safety culture and ensures we deliver on our commitments to safety and environmental standards.

Andy joined KAD in September 2025 and brings extensive safety leadership experience across the UK transport industry. He has previously served as Head of Safety, Security, Quality, and Environment at First Tram Operations Limited (Croydon Trams) and London Cableway (IFS Cloud Cable Cars). His earlier roles include HSQE positions at Virgin Trains, Caledonian Sleeper, Gatwick Express, and the RSSB.

Andrew Dickinson, Service Delivery Director 

As Service Delivery Director, Andrew is responsible for leading the teams in the operations of our trains, stations and Control Centre. With 15 years’ experience in the transport industry, Andrew has an array of knowledge and capability in operations and performance. Andrew joined KAD in February 2022 from South Western Railway where he was the Head of Train Service Delivery. Prior to this, Andrew held various senior roles at Great Western Railway and First Great Western focusing on operations, performance delivery, station management and customer service.