Mark Thurston

Mark Thurston (born He attended Loughborough University from 1999 to 2001, gaining an MSc in Engineering Management.

Career Thurston began his career as an apprentice with Transport for London. He later worked for Metronet. In June 2008, he joined CH2M as head of structures, bridges and highways, working on both Crossrail and London 2012.

On 26 January 2017, Thurston was appointed chief executive of High Speed 2. In 2022–2023, he was the highest paid of all UK public sector employees. Thurston went on to become the longest serving chief executive for High Speed 2, and stayed on until 2023 when he announced his resignation and then left the project in September of that year.

Thurston was appointed as visiting professor of Complex Project and Programme Leadership at his alma mater, Loughborough University, in 2021.