If he had been it would have been mentioned in the book by Valerie Stewart and Vivian Chadwick - Changing Trains: Messages for Management from the ScotRail Challenge. The GM immediately prior to Chris Green, Leslie Soane was also from a Civil Engineering background hence Green would be organising all the good stuff.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12206429.leslie-soane/ (pasted below in case link not accessible to some readers)
LESLIE J SOANE was appointed general manager of British Rail, Scotland, and a member of the BR (Scottish) Board in January 1977, having held a number of senior managerial positions in the BR Eastern, London, Midland, and Western Regions.
The benefits of his wide experience were soon realised by his active participation and valuable contributions on all matters, political and business, which would enhance the reputation and performance of the transport infrastructure in Scotland. During his six years in Scotland, Leslie served as a member of the Scottish Economic Planning Board (Scottish Office), the Scottish Council Development and Industry, and as a council member of the CBI Scotland. Other business interests included a close working relationship with the Scottish Tourist Board, the Highlands and Islands Investment Board, and the Chartered Institute of Transport on all of which he served either as a member or as chairman of a
number of committees.
One of the highlights of his achievements in Scotland was the re-opening in 1979 of the defunct and derelict former Glasgow
Central Railway as the fully
modernised electric train service, the Argyle Line. In addition to the enormity of this project in the rebuilding of almost a complete underground disused railway, delicate negotiations had to be undertaken with the financial sponsors, Strathclyde PTE. Leslie's abilities as a manager and his qualities in being able to harmonise and settle the differing priorities and objectives were acknowledged by all the interested parties when these complex discussions were under way. Leslie was liked and respected by all participants for the manner in which he presented the BR case while retaining an appreciation of the sometimes conflicting views of others.
The importance and success of the Argyle Line project was recognised when the Queen visited Glasgow in 1979, and carried out the formal opening of the route. Leslie was presented to Her Majesty on her arrival at Argyle Street Station, where the official ceremony was carried out, after which the BR/Strathclyde PTE representative joined Her Majesty on a special train to Motherwell.
Further recognition of the importance of the concept and inauguration of the new railway route in Glasgow was given in 1980 when BR Scotland received the prestigious Business and Industry Award.
Leslie also held the post of chairman of Sealink (Scotland), the then BR-owned shipping service between Stranraer and Larne. Here again his management skills and fair-mindedness came to the fore, resolving problems which arose in operating a shipping/rail service. He was always held in high esteem by the business and transport sections of the communities in Northern Ireland and in South-west Scotland. He brought about many improvements in the shipping service, the Princess route, including the opening of a two tier roll-on, roll-off ramp at Stranraer harbour and the introduction on the route of the then new ship Galloway Princess, named by his wife, Joan, at a ceremony in Belfast.
Leslie Soane cared a great deal about people, and during his six years in Scotland he regularly
visited every railway line and depot to enable him to keep in contact with his staff at all levels. He would always take action to resolve any problem brought to his notice.
A civil engineer by profession, Leslie took a quiet pride in the fact that, when serving as a chief civil engineer during the early 1970s, in the then Western region of BR, he was the 13th successor in direct line of one of the greatest railway engineers of all time, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
He was in the Irish Guards towards the end of the Second World War, and then transferred to the Royal Engineers, with whom he was involved in bomb disposal work. He retained his links with the Services, eventually holding the rank of colonel in the
Royal Engineers (Transportation) Railway Reserve.
In 1983 Leslie was brought back to BR headquarters in London by the then chairman of BR, Sir Robert B Reid, to carry out a detailed study of the overall BR management structure. This study was successfully concluded in 1985 and Leslie then left BR.
Under the chairmanship of Sir William McAlpine Bt, he established, and became executive director of, the Railway Heritage Trust. This is an independent company sponsored by BR (and now Railtrack and Rail Property Ltd) which assists with the conservation and enhancement of listed buildings and structures owned by both sponsors.
www.scotrail.co.uk
