McLoughlin, 51, boasts 30 years of experience in the rail industry, the last three as finance and commercial director for the infrastructure projects at Network Rail.
The move comes just weeks after Network Rail’s managing director of infrastructure Simon Kirby revealed he was leaving to join HS2 as CEO for the project’s construction phase.
McLoughlin will join Spencer Rail as chief executive in July as it is restructured to form a new rail infrastructure business which will be led by managing director, Raj Sinha, who has successfully spearheaded the growth and delivery of £200m of rail works in the last two years.
A new managing director for projects, which will be a separate business, will be appointed in due course.
McLoughlin will be based at Spencer Group’s HQ in Hull ,overseeing the rail business’ 300-plus staff in Scotland, Hull and London.
He said: “I have been hugely impressed by the culture and values I’ve seen across Spencer Group.
“We need to set our sights high and aim to exceed customer expectations.
“Recent successes such as completing the 15-day blockade at Gravesend and building the state-of-the-art signalling centre at Three Bridges prove we are more than capable of doing this and make us well placed to benefit from the huge opportunity for growth the rail industry has to offer.
“However, we must match this through continued innovation and the introduction of new technology as pressure increases to drive down costs and become ever more efficient.”
He added: “My strategy for the company is a simple one – to meet our goals by working closely with our customers and unlocking the potential of our workforce and by investing in our people to attract the best talent.”
Spencer Group CEO, Charlie Spencer said: “David McLoughlin has a vital role to play in setting the strategic direction of the business and the delivery of our key outputs.
“We need a strong talent base from the rail industry and beyond to help us meet that challenge and David will play a pivotal role in this.
“He brings with him decades of invaluable experience, providing first-hand expertise of the wide range of issues facing Network Rail, other infrastructure managers and train operators as the industry works together to deliver a better railway for passengers and freight operators.”
