On 22 February 2022, RB Rail AS Supervisory Board has taken decision on further changes to the Management Board of the Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS. Mark Loader, currently in the role of Chief Programme Management Officer, is leaving his position due to personal reasons, whereas Ignas Degutis, Chief of Staff at RB Rail AS has been appointed as the new Management Board member and Chief Financial Officer.
The planned changes will become effective as of 14 March and until then actions will be taken to ensure smooth transition and further strengthening of key organisational functions. Until further decisions the Management Board of RB Rail AS will be comprised of three members – Chairperson of the Management Board Agnis Driksna, Chief Financial Officer Ignas Degutis and Chief Technical Officer Marc Philippe El Beze.
“In the last couple of years, the Rail Baltica joint venture has established a team of professionals in project planning and project controls, which are the two areas for action and priority attention in a project of such a scale and complexity as Rail Baltica. This has laid a robust basis for unified project implementation planning and reporting standards has been developed to be applied in a transparent approach throughout the project across the Baltics,” said Karolis Sankovski, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at RB Rail AS. “With the respective changes, the new RB Rail’s Management Board will continue to work in full capacity focusing on project implementation and delivery on the strategic priorities of 2022, including progress and completion of the detailed technical designs.”
“On behalf of the Rail Baltica Global Project team, I would like to thank Mark Loader for his contribution to this unique project as even despite Covid-19 related complications in the last years, significant and visible progress has been achieved. We are particularly happy to see that we are also on the right direction for applying ambitious industry standards when it comes to health and safety,” said Agnis Driksna, Chairperson of the Management Board and CEO at RB Rail AS. “I am also looking forward to welcoming Ignas Degutis in his new capacity to the Management Board team. His long-term experience in the project and professional background will contribute significantly to the project priorities, including strengthening the finance competence in the company, which is critical to ensure successful implementation of the Rail Baltica Global Project’s key priorities.”
Ignas Degutis is an economics professional with a vast experience in financial management and holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in financial economics from ISM University of Management and Economics in Vilnius, Lithuania. He joined RB Rail AS in June 2017 and took the positions of Chief Financial Officer and the Management Board Member during period 2017 – 2021, and later continued in the positions of Corporate Support Manager and Chief of Staff at RB Rail AS.