Meet the Trustee

Christine Kernoghan

• Nominated by Passenger Train Operating Companies (TOCs)
• Term of office to 2028
• Chair of the Trustee Board and also chairs the Nominations Committee
  

“I feel privileged to chair the Trustee Board and care deeply about the Scheme’s members. Members’ interests sit at the heart of every decision the Trustee makes. As Chair my role is to provide leadership and direction to the Trustee Board, to enable it to fulfil its responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of the Scheme.”

Christine was the Head of Financial Services at South Western Railway Limited where her responsibilities included management and operation of the pension scheme. She has been involved with the Railways Pension Scheme (RPS) since 1996, taking an active role in developing effective communications and improved administration. She was a long-standing member of the South Western Railway Pension Committee. Christine became a Trustee Director in 2016 and Chair in 2022. 

Christine loves the great outdoors and has once rafted down the Grand Canyon for 8 days, surviving the rapids and wild camping along the way. She has a number of other interests and loves to cook in her spare time.   

You can  get to know Christine more in her introductory blog.

Adam Golton

• Nominated by Passenger Train Operating Companies (TOCs)
• Term of office to 2026
• Sits on the Audit and Risk Committee and is Chair of the Integrated Funding Committee
  

“I was keen to become a Trustee Director to help secure members’ benefits in an ongoing and sustainable way”

Adam is a Chartered Accountant and worked as Finance Director for 8 different rail franchises over a 20 year period. He has chaired a number of RDG’s governance groups, including the EC4T Steering Group and the Settlement, Assurance and Financing Committee. Adam has over 10 years’ experience as a Pensions Committee member for the Anglia and Great Eastern sections, and was appointed chair of these committees over a number of years. In November 2018, Adam moved to a Group role in order to focus on wider industry developments and their impact on the Abellio train operating companies. Adam retired from Abellio in September 2022, and became a Trustee Director in 2020.

Adam is a passionate horse rider and wanted to be a professional jump jockey as a child, in particular to ride the Grand National. These days he enjoys a hack in the New Forest to clear his mind. He enjoys travelling and enjoys watching most sports, especially watching a Southampton or Barnet football match. 

Fatima Baig

• Nominated by Network Rail
• Term of office to 2026
• Sits on the Audit and Risk Committee and the Integrated Funding Committee
• Non-Executive Director of Railpen and Railway Pension Investments Limited
  

“I am passionate about the rail industry and always wanted a trustee role that gives me a sense of purpose. A role came up on the Trustee Board and it was the perfect opportunity for me to serve the fiduciary interests of our scheme members.”

Fatima has over 12 years' experience working in Network Rail's finance department, having undertaken a number of financial and analytical roles. She currently heads up the Finance Strategy & Development team, where she delivers people and development initiatives for a community of 1000+ finance professionals. She also leads the talent development programmes for finance graduates, apprentices, year in industry students and summer interns, and has extensive experience of supporting young people.  

Fatima has previously worked with the company's 'Cultural Fusion' ethnicity network and is a strong advocate and promoter of creating a diverse and inclusive environment at Network Rail. She is a Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) fellow and one of the founding members of the CIMA women in Leadership forum.  

Fatima was appointed as a director of the Trustee Company in 2021.

Fatima is a massive foodie and enjoys trying foods from different countries and cooking Pakistani food. She used to sing classical Pakistani and Indian songs at school competitions and often still gets asked to sing at family weddings. 

Richard Jones

• Nominated by all Employers
• Term of office to 2028
• Sits on the Case Committee and is Chair of the Defined Contribution Committee.
  

“Serving on the Scott Wilson Pension Committee gave me an insight into pensions governance. I am fascinated by the range of challenges – from investing huge sums of money to agreeing payments to individual beneficiaries. And I enjoy being with the great people we have on the Trustee Board and in the Railpen team”

Richard’s 30-year railway career included engineering, commercial, corporate real estate and general management positions at BRB, Virgin, Alstom and AECOM. He was involved in the leadership and governance of the Scott Wilson Railways (now AECOM) RPS Section for over 10 years. Richard became a railways pensioner in 2018 and was subsequently appointed to a Civil Service role unrelated to the rail industry.  

Richard is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, an IoD Chartered Director and MBA graduate, and has non-executive experience with a Police Authority, including leading on pensions matters. He became a Trustee Director in 2016.

Richard is a committed Christian and serves as treasurer at the parish church his family attends. He reads the financial press, enjoys travelling to new places, good food and wine. He exercises by running (but he "doesn’t really enjoy that!").

Anjali Lakhani

• Nominated by Freight Train operating Companies (TOCs) and Support Services
• Term of office to 2028
• Sits on the Case Committee and Audit and Risk Committee
  

“The opportunity to be a Trustee Director is an exciting and enriching one. I will use my expertise in finance and freight to provide insights to the Board. I will commit to working hard to preserve, protect and fairly represent our members.”

Anjali has worked in the Rail Freight Sector for over 20 years in various finance roles. Currently she is Head of Rail Services & Heavy Haul at Freightliner, supporting the business in key decision making by providing financial insight, analysis, appraisal and regulatory support.

Anjali is a Chartered Global Management Accountant CIMA Associate. She was appointed as a director of the Trustee Company in 2022.

Richard Murray

• Nominated by Passenger Train Operating Companies (TOCs)
• Term of office to 2030
• Sits on the Defined Contribution Committee. He is a Non-Executive Director of Railpen and Railway Pension Investments Limited
  

Richard is the Group Pensions Director for FirstGroup, having joined the Reward & Pensions team in 2008. He started his career with an employee benefits consultancy after graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Economics and Statistics, and now has over 20 years' pensions experience. Richard has had a variety of trustee roles for FirstGroup pensions arrangements in the UK and North America.  

Richard was appointed a Trustee Director in 2019. 

John Wilson

• Nominated by Freight Train operating Companies (TOCs) and Support Services
• Term of office to 2026
  
• Sits on the Integrated Funding Committee
  

“I became a Trustee Director because I felt I had something to add to the Trustee Board through my experience in establishing the RPS. I also feel it is important to give ‘something back’ to the members.”

John is an Actuary and was formerly employed by British Rail where he worked with others in establishing the Railways Pension Scheme (RPS). He has over 50 years’ experience advising companies about their pension arrangements.  

John has been a member of the Pensions Committees of several sections of the Scheme. He was appointed a director of the Trustee Company in 2008. 

John enjoys travelling and has visited several out-of-the-way places including Sudan, Chile and Easter Island, Vietnam and Indonesia. His favourite place is Kashmir. Other interests include gardening and his 4 granddaughters. 

Iain Anderson

• Nominated by Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA)
• Term of office to 2030
• Sits on the Trustee Board
  

Iain was employed in the railway industry for twenty years working in a variety of roles, including payroll, administration and HR. For a number of years he was a member of the Eurostar Pensions Committee. He has participated in employer valuation discussions and industry wide working parties relevant to Pensions. He is now the Secretary to the TSSA Pension Fund and deals with associated administration matters for that fund.

Mick Cash

• Nominated by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
• Term of office to 2028
• Sits on the Defined Contribution Committee and Integrated Funding Committee
• Non-Executive Director of Railpen and Railway Pension Investments Limited
  

Mick joined the railway in 1978 within the Signal and Telecommunication (S&T) department and subsequently, in 2002, became the Senior Assistant General Secretary of RMT. In that position he undertook a number of roles and responsibilities, which included negotiating with employers, and dealing with the media and government. In addition, he became an Employee Director of the Railways Pension Scheme for approximately ten years between 2004 and 2014, and served on key Committees of the Trustee. 

Mick has also served a number of Pension Committees and was a Member Nominated Trustee of the Network Rail CARE and DC Schemes. From 2014 to 2021, Mick was the RMT General Secretary and an Employer-Nominated Director of the RMT pension fund. In 2021, Mick became a Trustee of the Railway Benevolent Fund.

Mick was re-appointed as a Trustee Director in 2021.  

Richard Goldson

• Nominated by the Retired Railway Officers’ Society
• Term of office to 2026
• Sits on the Defined Contribution Committee and is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
  

“As a retired person, I relish having a role which brings responsibility and involvement in the real world, and brings me into contact with many people, and on issues which are so important to members and employers.” 

Richard’s whole career was with the railway, half with British Rail, and half with National Express. Subsequently, he was a Non-Executive Director with the Office of Rail Regulation, and separately an adviser to the House of Commons Transport Committee. For eighteen of those years, Richard was an employer-elected Trustee Director of the railways pension schemes, and served on key Committees of the Trustee. He was the first Trustee to Chair the Railpen Board, and was one of the two Trustees to sit on the Railpen Board.  

Richard was re-appointed as a Trustee Director in 2020.

Richard enjoys bridge and other card games, church bell ringing, travel, art and opera. He loves walking in the countryside and is about mid-way through a 'bucket list' objective to visit all the extremes of British Isles (be that the highest, the lowest, the easternmost point etc). Most recently he visited the hamlet of Caolas on Vatersay, being the most westerly inhabited settlement in Scotland. 

Dave Gott

• Nominated by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and British Railways Superannuation Fund (BRSF) Management Committee
• Term of office to 2030
• Chair of the Case Committee
  

“The work of the Trustee Board is very important to me, in all aspects of its undertakings, especially payment of benefit claims.  I am very pleased to be part of this organisation”.

Dave joined British Rail in 1980 and worked in the signalling grades in the Lincoln/Retford areas. He was elected to the BRSF Management Committee in 2001 and elected to the Network Rail Pensions Committee in 2005 and remains on the Committee to date.  

Dave was appointed as a Trustee Director in 2007 and re-elected in 2012, again in 2018 and was a Non-Executive Director of Railpen from 2017 to 2020. 

Charles Harding

• Nominated by Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU)
• Term of office to 2026
• Sits on the Case Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee
  

Charles has been a Senior CSEU Representative for over 20 years and was employed as an engineer by a leading rail freight company until 2015. He is a member of Unite the Union.

Charles was appointed as a Trustee Director in 2007. 

Peter Holden

• Nominated by the British Transport Pensioners’ Federation (Pensioners Federation)
• Term of office to 2026
• Sits on the Integrated Funding Committee
  

“I became a Trustee Director to play an active role in helping to safeguard members’ pensions”.

Having graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Applied Biology, Peter worked in the British Transport Police Force for 30 years, and retired as Chief Superintendent (Divisional Commander) in 2016. He was a member of the Management Committee of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund from 2009 to 2016, and from 2017 to 2022 as a pensioner-nominated member of the Committee.

He was appointed as a Trustee Director in 2019 and was a Non-Executive Director of Railpen from 2020 to 2021. 

Peter enjoys long-distance walking - he has successfully ascended the three highest peaks in the British Isles within 24 hours - reading, live music and holds a season ticket with Bolton Wanderers. He volunteers with his local church and also the Woodland Trust, British Legion and his local litter-picking group. 

Howard Kaye

• Nominated by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF)
• Term of office to 2028
• Sits on the Case Committee, the Defined Contribution Committee and the Integrated Funding Committee
  

Howard has over 40 years’ service within the railway industry and is currently employed as a Train Driver-based at Kings Cross station. He has been an ASLEF Pensions Committee member of the 1994 Pensioners Section for several years and has been on the Executive Committee of ASLEF.

Howard was appointed as a Trustee Director in 2021. 

Gary Towse

• Nominated by the British Railways Superannuation Fund (BRSF) Management Committee
• Term of office to 2028
• Sits on the Audit and Risk Committee, Nominations Committee and the Integrated Funding Committee
• Non-Executive Director of Railpen and Railway Pension Investments Limited
  

Gary joined the British Transport Police in 1974 and served in the South East Area. He was a Committee member of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund from 1992 to 2006. He was elected the Treasurer of the British Transport Police Federation between 1996 and 2006.  

Gary was appointed as a director of the Trustee Company in 2004.