Mr Candfield will represent supplier members of RSSB. As well as heading the RIA, he is also President of the European Federation of Railway Trackwork Contractors.

Originally a civil servant in what is now the Department for Transport, Mr Candfield was involved in the mid-80s and early 90s with finance for British Rail and then with light rail projects.

He was subsequently an Executive Director of Union Railways throughout the period when the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was determined and its Parliamentary powers obtained, before becoming Corporate Affairs Director of London and Continental Railways.

The RSSB is owned by the rail industry and is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee. The Board provides safety leadership to the industry.