Suraj Shetty appointed as Sound Transit executive director of operations

Suraj Shetty has joined Sound Transit as the agency’s executive director of operations.  

With 20 years of experience in strategic operations, he will play a critical role as Sound Transit expands its service, including more than doubling the reach of Link light rail by 2024 and continuing to develop new Stride bus rapid transit services. 

"Suraj has achieved remarkable success in helping organizations increase operating and financial efficiency," said Sound Transit Deputy CEO Kimberly Farley. "He is known as a leader who empowers teams and individuals to develop collaborative solutions. Suraj is the right person to lead Sound Transit's operations as the agency grows and adapts to meet current challenges." 

Functions Shetty will oversee include transportation and maintenance; facilities and system maintenance; operations assets and technology; and operations support services. 

"I am very excited to join Sound Transit and work in a completely new industry. My skills would be well utilized in a business/service that is rapidly growing in these interesting times," Shetty said. 

Shetty has held several leadership positions in the manufacturing and supply chain roles in automotive, construction equipment and consumer goods industries. He oversaw the setup and management of new business and manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe and the United States. An expert in lean practices, continuous improvement, Kaizen, just-in-time (JIT), 5S and 3P methodologies, he was most recently vice president, supply chain for PMI Worldwide, where he led during a period of significant revenue growth. 

His career also includes a progression of leadership roles for the Terex Corporation where he implemented standardized processes, facilitated production growth, and increased operational quality and productivity. Suraj started out in the diesel automotive industry, holding several management positions within Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd. 

Shetty received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Washington and achieved an M.B.A from Grand Valley State University. He volunteers as a speaker at UW and mentor with the Big Brother Big Sister organization. 

"We are grateful to Paul Denison for his interim leadership during a very challenging time, as Sound Transit had to adjust service levels and make other changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. "As Paul returns to his previous role, I am confident that Suraj will bring leadership and efficiencies to Sound Transit's operations that will be critical as we expand our network and services."