High Speed 1 has achieved something rare and very special. It's the first major new railway in the UK for more than one hundred years and the first true high-speed line this country has ever seen. It has fully connected us to the growing European high-speed rail network. It has given the gift to the nation of the beautifully restored St. Pancras International, the new London terminus for Eurostar and domestic high speed rail services.

Moreover this huge infrastructure project – the UK's biggest ever construction project was brought in on time and within budget.

The construction of High Speed 1 – or HS1 – is of national significance to the UK economy. It has taken nine years, thousands of people and millions of man-hours to build. Yet one person arguably stands out more than any others in the fulfilment of this historic achievement. That man is Rob Holden.

Rob joined LCR in October 1996 as Finance Director. Following the restructuring of the LCR business and the High Speed 1 project in 1998/99, in which he played a leading part, Rob was appointed Chief Executive in January 1999. He is also non-executive Chairman of Eurostar (UK) Limited and a director of the Eurostar Group.

He was a man eminently qualified to take up the the enormous challenge of leading the drive to bring HS1 in on time and within budget. A chartered accountant by trade, Rob qualified with Arthur Young in Manchester before moving to Vickers Shipbuilding Group in Barrow-in Furness where he worked for 13 years. During that time he was involved in the privatisation of British Shipbuilders, the build programme for the Trident and Upholder classes of submarine and the regeneration of the Cammell Laird shipyard on Merseyside. When he left in 1996, he was the Finance Director of GEC Marine and VSEL PLC.

For much of the last decade he has been immersed in the kind of project that in his own words “comes along only once in a lifetime”. His story on HS1 is one of real innovation. Because HS1 isn't  just about the breathtaking achievements of the soaring Medway Bridge, the Thurrock Viaduct, the London Tunnels or the gothic splendour of St. Pancras international. It's also a tribute to planning, risk-sharing and making sure that the right partnerships were in place and working in total harmony to get the £5.8 billion job done.

HS1 under Rob's leadership is a tribute to cross-industry and cross-country co-operation.

The achievement is made even more impressive because there were simply no precedents. Just as innovative as the engineering achievements was the commercial operation. Throughout the project, Rob and the LCR team adopted a 'partnership approach'  through its Cost Overrun Protection Programme. This provided the ultimate incentive to get every stage of construction and testing finished to a deadline, and gave Rob the confidence to go public with the start date of Eurostar services from St. Pancras International a full year before completion.

Rob Holden is considered quietly spoken and modest. However this hides a steely determination and commitment to see the project through, a project that nearly collapsed before a shovel had been put to the ground. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link project as it was known then, didn't collapse and went on to become one of this country's finest engineering achievements.

Rob, always quick to recognise the contribution of others, credits John Prescott for putting CTRL firmly back on track.

And of course, the project has left a tremendous legacy. HS1 is delivering major urban regeneration benefits along its route, at King's Cross, Stratford and Ebbsfleet Valley expected to total over £10 billion – almost twice the cost of building the railway.

Rob's attention to detail is matched only by his ability to make the right decisions at the right time no matter how big the impact. And it is this quality that makes him stand out. He is also an innovator – even preferring to support Manchester City to United!

Rob commands great respect from his staff at all levels and indeed is always the first to point out that the incredible success of High Speed 1 was down to the 21st century pioneers who had the ambition and commitment to deliver the country's first high speed railway. But once in a while it's only right that one man stands up and accepts the plaudits for delivering an historic national treasure.