High Speed Two (HS2) has appointed Nicole Geoghegan as its general counsel and company secretary 11 months after Betty Morgan retired from the role.
Geoghegan is experienced at advising UK rail companies having worked at Transport for London subsidiary Tube Lines as general counsel. The company is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure of the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
During her six years at Tube Lines the company was the world’s biggest public private partnership transaction in the world and had an annual turnover of £500m.
Since then she has worked as divisional head counsel at civil engineering company GHD and later at railway operator Pacific National Coal. Geoghegan joins HS2 from industrial services company Contract Resources where she was general counsel since 2014.
When Morgan retired from her role at HS2 last year the general counsel position was filled by Stephenson Harwood partner Suzanne Tarplee who was seconded to the company on an interim basis.
Last year Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) was appointed as HS2’s main legal adviser. The firm will advise on infrastructure, construction and rolling stock aspects of the development of Britain’s new north-south high speed train line. HSF UK and EMEA infrastructure head Patrick Mitchell is the client partner and works with partners Nicholas Downing, Adrian Clough and Julia Pyke.
Eversheds is HS2’s sole legal adviser for general legal services, land and property issues while Winckworth Sherwood advises on regulatory matters.