FirstGroup has announced that Paul Osland has been appointed as the new President of its First Student division.
Since joining First Student in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer, Paul has contributed extensively to the improvement of the division through his operational leadership and through the delivery of a number of key business improvement initiatives. He has focused on strengthening the operating structure and continuing to build an emphasis on process discipline, helping First Student achieve excellent contract retention rates, record customer satisfaction scores, and leading employee engagement scores. As a result, First Student is growing again, both through increased market share and acquisition.
Prior to joining First Student, Paul worked for Chicago Public Schools as both Chief Facility Officer and Executive Director, Transportation. Before this he held a variety of commercial and operational leadership roles including within Fortune 100 companies.
FirstGroup Chief Executive Matthew Gregory commented:
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Osland as President, First Student with effect from 1 September 2019. I know that Paul will be able to build on the progress achieved in the business to date including a return to revenue and fleet growth and the development of industry-leading safety performance. This will enable First Student to achieve its full potential alongside First Transit in the North American mobility services sector.”
Paul Osland added:
"I'm excited to be taking on the role of President at First Student. I’m very proud of the visible progress the team have made over recent years and look forward to continuing this work into the future as we build on the market-leading platform we have established.”