Christopher A. Austin O.B.E. was born in 1945. He became a British Rail: Southern Region Management Trainee in 1967. He then worked as a local manager in the Medway towns, Train Catering Manager in South Wales and worked on signalling scheme planning and London planning matters from 1967 to 1987. Between 1987 and 1997 he served as Parliamentary Affairs Manager and later Director of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs for British Railways. He joined Westminster Communications as a Consultant in 1997, staying in this role until 1999. He worked as Executive Director External Affairs and later Executive Director Community Rail Development for the Strategic Rail Authority from 1999 to 2005. He then joined the Association of Train Operating Companies as Director of Policy in 2005, and later was appointed as Head of Public Affairs, staying int his role until 2009.