Northern appoints new head of retail to make buying a ticket ‘as easy as it’s possible to be’

Clarke, from York in North Yorkshire, takes up his new role in April and will be responsible for all elements of the ticket buying experience.

He will also head-up the train operator’s revenue protection strategy and their continuous drive to reduce ticketless travel on its services across the region.

Clarke joins Northern from Arriva UK Trains where he was head of commercial. Prior to that, he worked for Grand Central trains as their head of revenue.

In this role, he replaces Jason Wade, who was announced as Northern’s new regional director for the North East last month.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “This is a key role providing strategic leadership and direction for all retail activity across the organisation.

“We need to make buying a ticket as easy as it’s possible to be – and Nick has the experience and expertise to make that happen.

“Nick will also represent Northern at wider industry discussions on the development of longer-term strategic retailing opportunities for the rail industry.”

Commenting on his appointment, Nick Clarke said: “As someone who has worked in the rail industry for a long time, I know the reputation Northern has as an industry leader when it comes to retail and revenue protection.

“As such, I’m thrilled to be joining such a committed team and taking on that mantle to ensure we remain ahead of the pack, providing the best possible service to our customers and reducing ticketless travel on the network.”

In January, Northern announced a 20% drop in the number of penalty fares issued in the first year since the government increased the fine to £100.

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