NCT’s David Astill wins Lifetime Achievement Award
David Astill, Managing Director of Nottingham City Transport (NCT), has been awarded the Bus Centre of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award recognises David’s exceptional contribution to the bus sector in England over a number of years. It was presented by Leon Daniels OBE, the President of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
David’s interest and passion for buses started at childhood, joining the bus industry immediately after graduating from the University of Westminster in the 1980s. After holding several senior positions for FirstGroup, David joined NCT as Commercial Manager in 2007; its Board as Commercial and Operations Director in 2018 and took the helm as Managing Director in April 2021, overseeing NCT’s recovery post-Covid.
David is a board member of ALBUM, a regional Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Chair and sits on the Bus Commission.
“Of course, I haven’t achieved anything in my career without the support and hard work of those I have worked with in this wonderful industry and for that I am so grateful” – David Astill
On winning his award, David said: “Having recently accumulated 41 years since I first started working on the buses, I was surprised but delighted to be recognised with this Lifetime Achievement Award. Of course, I haven’t achieved anything in my career without the support and hard work of those I have worked with in this wonderful industry and for that I am so grateful. The fact that I was nominated for this award by the board of the Greater Nottingham Enhanced Bus Partnership is testament to the esteem in which the company I am fortunate and proud to lead, Nottingham City Transport, is held by the local community and our key stakeholders”
“I’ve seen first-hand that David is an exceptional leader and ambassador for bus excellence in Nottingham” – Jon Parker, Nottingham Bus Partnership chair
Jon Parker independently chairs the Nottingham Bus Partnership and sits on the DfT ‘Bus Centre of Excellence’ Advisory Board. Jon nominated David for the Lifetime Achievement Award and said: “I’ve seen first-hand that David is an exceptional leader and ambassador for bus excellence in Nottingham. When I considered nominating David for the award, I reached out to many of the Nottingham bus stakeholders who were unanimous in their support for his nomination, which is testament to the highest regard that the bus industry has for David. He is a very worthy winner.”
Cllr Graham Chapman, NCT Chair, said: “Nottingham City Transport is one of the best bus companies in the UK. It hasn’t happened by accident but by a dedicated workforce and excellent management. David has played a major role in that management for over 15 years and richly deserves the award.”