Northern appoints new People Director to support workforce of 7,000 across the North of England

Leighton, from West Yorkshire, has an extensive background in HR, with experience across telecoms, financial services and retail.

She joins Northern on Monday, 16 January and will be responsible for employee relations and recruitment, as well as the organisation's industry-leading learning and talent programmes and will lead a renewed focus on overall employee experience and engagement.

Northern has some 7,000 employees based across the North of England, including drivers, conductors, engineers, customer service and support staff.

Commenting on her appointment, Nick Donovan, managing director of Northern, said: “Lisa has an impressive track record at developing inclusive organisational culture and we’re excited to add her extensive skills and experience to our leadership team.”

Leighton added: “The rail industry is going through a period of huge change and I look forward to working with colleagues at Northern to lead the way in the industry and build a new future for colleagues and customers.”

Outside of work, Leighton is a listening volunteer for the Samaritans, a suicide prevention charity with a long association with the rail industry.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

Northern’s new timetable came into effect in December 2022 and all customers, especially those who have made regular journeys on specific train times, are advised to use the new 'Check My Timetable' feature on Northern’s website to see changes specific to their local station.