CrossCountry appoints Colette Casey as Customer Director

Britain’s largest long-distance operator, CrossCountry, is delighted to announce the appointment of Colette Casey as Customer Director.

Colette has extremely strong commercial experience, having worked in the automotive industry for twenty years for many household names such as MG Rover Group, Vauxhall and most recently Renault as Head of Customer Experience and Quality. Here, she led on the marketing, digital and commercial strategy for the business. She was also responsible for accelerating the use of digital technology to improve the customer experience and delivering major brand marketing She was also responsible for accelerating the use of digital technology to improve the customer experience and delivering major brand marketing such as Renault UK's sponsorship of premier league coverage on Sky Sport.

This new position will provide a strong focus on ensuring CrossCountry not only meets customers’ needs but exceeds them, with a strong focus on the future. Colette will play a central role in shaping and delivering the customer proposition to create a seamless experience for our customers.

Colette will join CrossCountry in September.

ENDS

Notes to editors  

1. Train operators provided 1,348 free train tickets as part of the Rail to Refuge scheme between 9 April 2020 and 14 March 2021. Survivors can access the tickets through the member services of Women’s Aid Federation of England (including Respect, which runs the Men's Advice line), Welsh Women’s Aid, Scottish Women’s Aid, and Imkaan, once they have received an offer of a refuge place.  
2. Two-thirds of survivors identifying as currently experiencing abuse (66.7%, 46 out of 69 answering the question) told Women’s Aid that their abuser had started using lockdown restrictions or the Covid-19 virus and its consequences as part of the abuse. (Women’s Aid June 2020 Survivor Survey, reported in A Perfect Storm) 
3. Nearly a third (31.9%) of survivors surveyed in 2018 said their access to money during the relationship was controlled by the perpetrator. (The Domestic Abuse Report 2019: The Economics of Abuse). In addition a 2015 report found that 52% of women surveyed who were living with an abuser couldn't afford to leave because they had no money of their own. (Unequal, Trapped & Controlled, Women's Aid and TUC). 
4. In 2019-20 Women’s Aid estimates that refuge services in England supported 10,592 women and 12,710 children and community-based services supported 103,969 women and 124,762 children. Demand is still higher than the provision available, with 57.2% of refuge referrals declined during the year – 18.1% of all referrals were turned down due to lack of capacity in the refuge. (The Domestic Abuse Report 2021 : The Annual Audit)  
5. Women’s Aid reported a 41% increase in users visiting its instant messaging Live Chat site within the first two weeks of lockdown in March 2020 and as a result extended its opening hours to 10am – 4pm daily. Respect, which runs the Men’s Advice Line, has increased service hours from 46 to 75 hours weekly to support male victims, after seeing a huge increase in demand since March 2020. 
6. Any story about domestic abuse should refer to appropriate sources of help and support, including Helplines.  

• In England: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/
• In Scotland: Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, available 24/7 on 0800 027 1234 or via email and web chat at sdafmh.org.uk 
• In Wales:Live Fear Free helpline available 24/7 0808 80 10 800 https://www.welshwomensaid.org.uk/ 
• Respect: Male victims of domestic abuse can call the Respect Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010327 or visit: mensadviceline.org.uk
• Imkaan:  https://www.imkaan.org.uk/ 

Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains