Non-Executive Recruitment - Regulated by the Commissioner of Public appointments
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Non-Executive Recruitment
Candidate Pack
Regulated by the Commissioner LCR 1
of Public appointments
Contents
Welcome Note from Nick Markham, LCR Chair 3
Welcome Note from Peter Hawthorne, CEO 4
About LCR 5
About the Board 6
Summary of the Post 7
Person Specification 7
Terms of Appointment 9
How to Apply 11
Indicative Timetable 13
Annex A: Board profiles 15
Annex B: Seven Principles of Public Life 17
LCR 2Welcome Note from Nick Markham
LCR Chair
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the non-executive appointment on the Board of London and
Continental Railways Limited (LCR).
For the boards of public bodies to effectively serve the public, they should also be
representative of the public. We need our public appointments to be open to fresh talent,
expertise and perspectives, to help us better understand the needs of the public they serve.
That is why LCR is committed to making our public appointments more diverse in terms of
ethnicity, gender, life experience and background. As LCR Chair, I want our public
appointments to benefit from the strongest possible field of candidates. That means we need
more candidates from a variety of backgrounds who can bring their experience and ideas to
our board.
If you are new to public appointments, I would like to encourage you to apply for our public
appointment opportunities and join an organisation that is purpose-led and values-driven.
Our HR team would be happy to answer any queries you may have on the process, including
how you can improve your application. They can be contacted at HR@lcrproperty.co.uk
We look forward to receiving your application.
Nick Markham
Chair, LCR
LCR 3Welcome Note from Peter Hawthorne, CEO, LCR
We are a purpose-led, values-driven sustainable regeneration company with net assets of
over £380M.
We are committed to creating positive change within local communities, with this ethos
central to everything we do. All of our work is designed to maximise public value from
underutilised public sector assets, with a particular emphasis on those assets connected to
the UK’s network of railway stations.
We define public value as creating new homes, jobs, maximising the innovation and
partnership work required to deliver commercially viable developments, and the social value
that comes from creating great places.
We are proud of our legacy, which has seen us deliver, with partners, some of the UK’s most
significant regeneration projects, including the redevelopment of St Pancras International
Station, the rejuvenation of King’s Cross, and the master-planning of a new metropolitan
centre at Stratford City.
Now, we are building on this expertise to act as the ‘guiding mind’ on a programme of
development at and around railway stations to facilitate the delivery of tens of thousands of
homes and jobs.
For further information please refer to our website www.lcrproperty.co.uk and you are excited
and challenged by the opportunity, please apply.
Peter Hawthorne
CEO, LCR Property
LCR 4About LCR
London & Continental Railways (LCR) is a Companies Act company owned wholly by the
Department for Transport (DfT) and classified in Government accounting terms as a public
corporation. The objectives of the Secretary of State in owning LCR are to see maximum value
realised from LCR’s assets at the earliest opportunity for the taxpayer, and for LCR to support
the delivery of Government objectives relating to the creation of homes, jobs and economic
growth around railway assets. Over the last four years LCR has generated over £273m of
value and paid dividends to DfT of £434m.
LCR’s business plan and work programme over the next few years is focused on realising value
from existing assets, in particular International Quarter London (IQL), Manchester Mayfield,
Axis Square and the Waterloo Retail project. The strategies set out in LCR’s business plan will
deliver:
• Development activity with a projected Gross Development Value of c.£3.3bn on
completion
• Over £7bn worth of Public value
• Regeneration of brownfield sites at or around rail stations;
• Provision of over 6.5m square feet (sq ft) of commercial offices;
• Facilitate delivery of over 40,000 residential units;
• Creation of 130,000 sqft of retail within Waterloo International Terminal, and a further
30,000 sqft adjacent to Waterloo in Leake Street;
• Payment of further dividends to DfT in excess of £130m.
LCR’s portfolio of property assets is finite currently and has declined over recent years, largely
as a consequence of having disposed of property interests (e.g. King’s Cross).
Historically, LCR’s model, particularly with regard to large scale regeneration projects (King’s
Cross, Stratford and Manchester Mayfield) has been to establish a joint venture with a private
sector development partner (PSDP), with LCR injecting its land holding into the joint venture
as equity, and with the PSDP injecting cash. However, with a reduced asset base this model
is no longer readily applicable and LCR has evolved its business model accordingly.
LCR’s approach, therefore, is to use the experience gained at King’s Cross, Stratford,
Manchester Mayfield and Waterloo:
• To support the delivery of homes, jobs and economic growth by facilitating the
exploitation of the commercial, development and regeneration opportunities at and
around stations in collaboration with the public and private sector;
• To promote investment in stations; and
• To capture an appropriate share of value for government.
LCR 5About the Board
The model for the LCR/DfT relationship is analogous to that of a commercial organisation
with a Board possessing a majority of independent non-executive directors but with a single
shareholder and operating ‘best practice’ standards of corporate governance appropriate to
a listed public company in so far as they are relevant to a private company and to a company
whose accounts are consolidated to the government at the whole of government accounts
level.
The fiduciary duties of the company’s directors to the company in law are fully recognised
in the DfT-LCR Framework Agreement, including the duty to promote the success of the
company for the benefit of its shareholder. Also recognised is the legitimate expectation of
the Board and directors of LCR to have the normal freedom of action necessary to manage
the interests and conduct of the company and its representation on the Boards of its
investments.
The Board has responsibility for ensuring that LCR complies with any statutory or
administrative requirements for the use of public funds, and for ensuring that high standards
of corporate governance are observed at all times.
The Board has constituted the following sub-committees of the main Board, each of which
is chaired by a Non-Executive Director:
• Audit and Risk Committee;
• Remuneration Committee; and
• Nominations Committee.
The Board meets every two months with the above sub-committees also being held a week
before the Board meeting as and when appropriate.
The Board consists of four independent non-executive directors, including the Chair, and
one Executive director currently (the Chief Executive).
• Chair: Nick Markham
• Non-Executive Director: Alex Reeves (Shareholder appointed)
• (Senior) Non-Executive Director: Mike Dunn
• Non-Executive Director: Pending appointment
• Non- Executive director: Vacant
• Chief Executive/Company Secretary: Peter Hawthorne
Biographies of Board members can be found in Annex A.
LCR 6Summary of the Post
Title: Non-Executive Board member
Reports to: LCR Chair
As a Non-Executive Board member your key responsibilities will be to:
• Contribute effectively to discussions on the leadership and performance of the
business at the LCR Board, held 6 times per annum usually held at LCR’s headquarters
in central London, with the possibility of holding one or more meetings a year outside
London;
• Support the LCR Chair to examine, challenge and support the operational delivery and
commercial implications of, major projects and programmes, strategic and
organisational issues;
• Chair LCR’s Nominations and Remuneration Committees and contribute as a member
of the Board’s other committee (Audit and Risk), providing rigorous support and
challenge;
• Work with other members of the board, the CEO and the Executive team and
members to scrutinise the Company’s management information in respect of
performance and delivery, and to ensure that the Company’s Business Plan and other
key objectives are ambitious and achievable;
• Bring an independent perspective to the work of the LCR Board, as well as providing
independent scrutiny for the Department upon request;
Person Specification
All candidates will be required to demonstrate in their written applications and at interview
how they meet the requirements of the post. The criteria that will be used to assess whether
candidates have the required qualities, skills and experience as are listed below. You must
give examples in your application showing how in previous activity you have demonstrated
each of the requirements:
Professional Skills
The successful candidates will also be able to demonstrate the following attributes:
• strong communication skills, including an ability to offer challenge in a constructive,
straightforward and open manner;
LCR 7• the ability to challenge and support the development of management and strategic
plans by applying relevant private sector approaches and/or experience in a public
sector context;
• the ability to successfully deliver change: experience of transforming business
processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness at significantly lower cost;
• a solid appreciation of risk management: Significant experience of assessing and
managing risks, including high risk and high value projects and risks with a public
interest element;
• significant and demonstrable experience of all aspects of Human resources,
Transformation and Change with concrete evidence of continuous professional
development and a suitable and relevant professional qualification;
• a good understanding and appreciation of complex organisations operating in a
political environment with experience in an industry which can draw strong parallels
with the business of government. You will be comfortable engaging with Ministers
and Officials, and understand how to be effective in a public sector context; and
• a solid commitment to high ethical standards of integrity and honesty, and an
understanding of the value and importance of the Seven Principles of Public Life.
Terms of Appointment
Appointment Term
• Your appointment as a Non-Executive Board member of LCR will be made by the
Secretary of State.
• The appointment will be for an initial term of three years, with the option of re-
appointment for up to a further three years subject to Secretary of State approval.
• It should be noted that this post is a public appointment; Non-Executive Board members
are neither employees of the Crown nor LCR. Such appointments are not normally subject
to the provisions of employment law.
• Appointments may be ended prior to the conclusion of the period of appointment.
Time Commitment
The anticipated time commitment is a minimum of 24 days per annum. The role involves
attendance at Board meetings, providing specialised advice as required, preparation time,
travel and work outside of meetings.
Remuneration
• £20,000 per annum, plus an additional £5,000 for Chairing sub-committees.
Remuneration is taxable through payroll, but the appointment is not pensionable.
LCR 8• Members can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs
necessarily incurred at rates set centrally by the Department for Transport.
• Applicants should note that the successful candidates cannot be remunerated for this
role, if they are being paid for an existing full-time role from the public purse.
Location
The role will be based in London.
Availability
The successful candidates will be encouraged to take up this appointment as soon as possible,
subject to the successful completion of pre-appointment checks.
Right to work
You must have the right to work in the United Kingdom. There must be no employment
restriction or time limit on your permitted stay in the UK. You will not be asked to produce
evidence to confirm your eligibility at the application stage, but you will be required to do so
should you be invited to the final panel interview.
Confidentiality
You will be required to exercise care in the use of company information acquired in the course
of your duties, and not to disclose information, which is held in confidence.
Disqualification for appointment
There are circumstances in which an individual will not be considered for appointment. They
include:
• people who have received a prison sentence or suspended sentence of three months
or more in the last five years;
• people who are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order;
• in certain circumstances, those who have had an earlier term of appointment
terminated;
• anyone who is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors
Disqualification Act 1986; and
• anyone who has been removed from trusteeship of a charity.
Standards in public life
LCR 9You will be expected to demonstrate high standards of corporate and personal conduct. All
successful candidates will be asked to subscribe to the Review Body’s “Codes of Practice”.
Candidates will be expected to abide by the “Seven Principles of Public Life” set out by the
Committee on Standards in Public Life (Annex B).
Registration of interests
The purpose of these provisions is to avoid any danger of Board members being influenced,
or appearing to be influenced, by their private interests in the exercise of their public duties.
Public appointments require the highest standards of propriety, involving impartiality,
integrity and objectivity, in relation to the stewardship of public funds and the oversight and
management of all related activities. This means that any private, voluntary, charitable, or
political interest which might be material and relevant to the work of the body concerned
should be declared. It is important, therefore, that you consider your circumstances when
applying for a public appointment and identify any potential conflicts of interest, whether real
or perceived.
There is a requirement to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest you may have in
being appointed to the Board in a separate form. Any actual or perceived conflicts of interest
will be fully explored by the Panel at interview stage.
Political activity
Members will need to show political impartiality during their time on the Board and must
declare any party-political activity they undertake in the period of their appointment.
Your political activity will be kept separate from your application and will only be seen by the
Panel prior to interview – the Panel may at that stage explore with candidates any potential
for conflict of interest. It is appreciated that political activities may have given you relevant
skills, including experience gained from committee work, collective decision making, resolving
conflict and public speaking. If, therefore, you have had such experience and you consider it
relevant to your application for this post, you may if you choose include it separately in the
main body of your application.
Further Information
If you have any queries about this role or need guidance on any of the forms, please contact
Nigel Crainey, Chief Operations and Transformation Officer on 0207 391 4360 or email
nigel.crainey@lcrproperty.co.uk.
LCR 10Equal Opportunities Monitoring
LCR is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, age, disability,
gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation and transgender.
As part of the application process we ask candidates to complete equal opportunities
monitoring information. This will help us to monitor selection decisions to assess whether
equality of opportunity is being achieved. The information on the form will be treated as
confidential and used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of
your application.
Interview Access Scheme for Disabled Persons
We are committed to actively encouraging applications from people with disabilities.
Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria for
the appointment, as outlined in the relevant role description. Declaring a disability for the
purposes of a guaranteed interview is your decision and is entirely voluntary.
Whether you choose to apply under the Interview Access Scheme or not you can still ask us
to make particular arrangements for you when attending an interview. You can also contact
us if you want to discuss the criteria for the role or have questions regarding your application.
Please note that due to the current pandemic, we will conduct the process remotely via
technology.
References and conflicts
Please note that you are required to compete the information as part of your application.
References will be taken up post shortlisting and prior to interview.
Data Protection
LCR takes its obligations under the Data Protection Act seriously. Any data about you will be
held in secure conditions with access restricted to those who need it in connection with
dealing with your application and the selection process. Data may also be used for the
purposes of monitoring the effectiveness of the recruitment process, but in these
circumstances will be kept anonymous. The ethnic monitoring form is used for monitoring the
selection process only. If you do not wish to have these details recorded please return the
form uncompleted.
Our data protection policy is in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act and the
requirements of the Commissioner’s Code of Practice. The Commissioner’s requirements
relating to the information we collect about applicants are set out below:
• Your initial contact details, including your name and address will be held by the LCR
for a period of at least two years.
LCR 11• If you submit an application form, the form and any supporting documentation will
be retained for at least 2 years.
• Information held electronically, including your contact details and the monitoring
information which you provide will also be held for at least two years.
If you would like these details to be removed from our records as soon as this recruitment
exercise is complete, please contact the HR Department on 020 7391 4300.
Please note: Expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be
reimbursed.
Indicative Timetable
Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.
Please let us know in your application letter if you are unable to meet these timeframes.
Advert Closing Date 21st February 2021
Short List Meeting w/c 22nd February 2021
Final Panel Interviews w/c 8th March 2021
Selection Process
This role is being competed in accordance with the Governance Code (January 2017) 1, which
sets out the regulatory framework for public appointments processes. The Code is based on
three core principles – merit, openness and fairness.
The competition will be chaired by Nick Markham, LCR Chair and consist of the following panel
members:
• Peter Hawthorne, CEO, LCR
• Kirsty Austin, Deputy Director, DfT
• Independent Panel member (to be confirmed prior to interview)
The LCR HR team will acknowledge your application and keep you updated on the progress of
the competition.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments
LCR 12At the short-listing meeting the selection panel will assess each application against the
essential criteria and decide who to invite for preliminary interview. Prior to interview, LCR
will administer psychometric test, which will be used to inform the selection process.
Interviews are expected to take place remotely using appropriate technology. Further details
about the testing and format of the interview will be provided to you in advance.
The decision to appoint to this role rests with the Secretary of State. Appointable candidates
may be invited to meet with the Secretary of State, or another Department for Transport
Minister, before they make a final decision.
Complaints
If you are not completely satisfied with the way your application is handled at any stage of
the competition, please raise any complaint in the first instance with:
Nigel Crainey
Chief Operations and Transformation Officer
LCR
20 Cranbourn Street,
London,
WC2H 7AA
Or by email to nigel.crainey@lcrproperty.co.uk
We will reply to your complaint within 5 working days.
LCR 13Annex A – Board Profiles
Nick Markham, Chair
Nick Markham has extensive experience in the private, public and charity sectors. He has
particular expertise in housing and urban regeneration, gained during his time as the Lead
Non-Executive Director at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and
his role as Chair and Founder of the housing charity, Safe Haven.
Previously Nick was Deputy Leader, Chairman of Finance and Education Chair for Westminster
Council. In business, Nick has a strong media, technology and retail background. His previous
positions include Strategy Director of ITV, where he was responsible for the merger between
Carlton and Granada to form ITV PLC. During this time, he also developed the Freeview
concept with the BBC, which led to him launching and becoming CEO of Top Up TV, the first
successful pay DTT company in the world.
More recently, Nick has chaired Inview, where he has become a leading world expert on
Digital Switch Over programmes and is exporting the Freeview model to countries such as
Nigeria and Ghana. Nick is also a Non-Executive Director of Inchora, a leading Fintech business
in the UK residential market.
Alex Reeves: Non-Executive Director
Alex is a Director in UK Government Investments, the government organisation owned wholly
by HM Treasury that acts as HM Government’s centre of excellence for corporate finance and
corporate governance. He has worked on a variety of corporate finance and governance
projects in government, including real estate and investment portfolio sales, and government
investments in the aerospace and steel sectors. He currently leads on inward M&A, Royal Mail
pension assets and other corporate finance projects.
Prior to that, Alex spent over ten years in corporate advisory and investment banking roles
focused on the financial services sector, most recently in the FIG M&A Team at Jefferies in
London. During this time, he advised on and managed a large number of UK and cross-border
M&A transactions for UK, European and US clients, with a particular focus on the asset
management sector.
Alex is a Non-Executive Director of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and a member of
the Investment Committee of the Charity for Civil Servants.
Mike Dunn: Senior Non-Executive Director
Michael is a Chartered Accountant, with responsibility for chairing LCR’s Audit and Risk
Committee. He was previously Group Finance Director of St Modwen Properties plc, the
FTSE250 regeneration specialist, and prior to that was Group FD of infrastructure support
services business May Gurney Integrated Services.
He remains a board member, as well as Audit and Risk Committee Chair, at Metropolitan
Thames Valley Housing Association, one of the UK’s leading providers of affordable housing
and care services.
LCR 14Peter Hawthorne CEO/Company Secretary
Peter Hawthorne is the CEO. He is a Chartered Accountant and Executive Member of the
Board Peter is also a director of the Mayfield Partnership, a joint venture between LCR,
Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and U+I, Stratford City Business
District Ltd, a joint venture between LCR and Lendlease, and was formerly a director King’s
Cross Central General Partnership Ltd. Peter has been with LCR since 2013 and was previously
LCR’s Finance Director.
LCR 15Appendix B
Seven Principles of Public Life
The principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes
all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people
appointed to work in the civil service, local government, the police, courts and probation
services, NDPBs, and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-
holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also
have application to all those in other sectors delivering public services.
Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do
so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their
friends.
Integrity
Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation
to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance
of their official duties.
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or
recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make
choices on merit.
Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must
submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
Openness
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that
they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the
public interest clearly demands.
Honesty
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public
duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public
interest.
Leadership
Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and
example.
LCR 16You can also read
