Charles Johnson-Ferguson, PwC Corporate Finance Partner and most recently leader of PwC’s UK Transport & Logistics division, will join the Rock Group as the Chief Financial Officer effective from 1st July 2024. He will work closely with the CEO Mark Swindell and the management team to continue the expansion of the business.
Johnson-Ferguson is a chartered accountant and brings to Rock 23 years’ experience of advising on infrastructure transactions. He has worked on projects for government, regulators and investors in the UK, Europe and Australia covering transport, energy transition, telecoms and social infrastructure.
Johnson-Ferguson succeeds Jo Shepherd who will be retiring from the business after 6 years to pursue other interests but will remain in a supporting role on a consultancy basis.
The Rock Group is an independent developer, owner and asset manager of rolling stock, rail infrastructure and zero emission buses. Rock provides innovative, value enhancing funding approaches for strategically important rail, infrastructure and bus assets in the UK, Germany, France and other mainland European markets. Rock works collaboratively with institutional debt and equity investors, national and local governments, train and bus operators, OEM suppliers with the emphasis on improving passenger journeys.
Swindell founded Rock in 2011 and has subsequently built the business into a leading infrastructure developer which since 2016 has raised over £3.5bn in institutional capital for transport projects in the UK and Germany.
“Rock is a tremendous opportunity to join a team that’s innovative, entrepreneurial and is passionate about aligning the needs of private capital and strategic infrastructure” said Johnson-Ferguson. “Mark and his team have built Rock into a highly regarded partner for government and investors. We will continue to focus on how we can bring more private capital into delivering long term investible projects for our stakeholders.”
Swindell said “I have personally known Charles for 15 years since we were both involved on opposite sides on the Department for Transport and Hitachi Intercity Express Programme. We have admired Charles’ expertise, knowledge and collaborative personality in his role as a Partner at PwC acting for us on many transactions over the years. We are delighted to be appointing him as our Chief Financial Officer with effect from the 1st July as Rock Rail and Rock Road continue to build our business in the rolling stock sector and the decarbonisation of the bus markets”.
Johnson-Ferguson retires from the PwC Partnership on 30th June.