SIEMENS has announced a new boss for its Poole-based intelligent traffic systems (ITS) business.

Wilke Reints will succeed Tom MacMorran, who retires as managing director at the end of this month.

Mr Reints has spent more than 20 years in total with Siemens.

He first joined in 1992, moving to the ITS business three years later, and held a variety of positions including in project management for the Athens Olympic Games.

After a two-year break from Siemens mid-career, he rejoined in 2010. Most recently, he has had a global role, responsible for all research and development, and product lifecycle management, for ITS.

Mr Reints said: “Siemens has a proven track record with a global pedigree for the efficient installation, operation and maintenance of ITS solutions.

“I am confident that we will continue to combine experience with reliability, foresight and innovation to deliver the highest level expertise and service to meet the needs of our customers in the UK.”

Siemens is the world’s largest engineering company, employing 15,000 people in the UK, including around 500 at the former Plessey site in Poole.

Siemens’ traffic control and management technology, produced in Poole, is used in a host of major cities.

Its systems are used to enforce London’s congestion charge and it has been involved in trials which could see driverless cars introduced to British roads.