Arriva Rail London (ARL) has appointed Niall Rooney as its new customer experience director, succeeding Charlotte Whitfield, who took on the role of operations director in April 2025.

Niall brings with him 18 years of experience in the airline industry, having held a range of senior leadership roles at British Airways over the past decade. Most recently, he served as head of Heathrow transformation and aircraft movements, where he led one of the world’s largest aircraft pushback and towing operations. He played a key role in British Airways’ post-pandemic recovery, overseeing major business continuity and transformation programmes.

His earlier roles at British Airways included heading the Executive Club loyalty programme, managing the global ground experience strategy across 140 locations, and leading inflight retail and ancillary revenue initiatives. Known for his commercial mindset and passion for delivering exceptional customer and operational outcomes, Niall has consistently driven growth and innovation in both low-cost and legacy airline environments.

Steve Best, managing director at Arriva Rail London, said: “We are delighted to welcome Niall to the team. Bringing insight from one of the world’s leading airlines into the rail sector presents an exciting opportunity to rethink how we deliver service and raise the bar for our customers. His proven track record in customer experience strategy and innovation will be instrumental as we continue to enhance the journeys of millions of London Overground passengers.”

Niall Rooney, customer experience director at Arriva Rail London, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the executive team at Arriva Rail London and can’t wait to get out and meet our colleagues and customers on the network. I’m excited to apply learnings from my aviation background to the rail industry to deliver exceptional outcomes for our customers on the London Overground.”