First ScotRail managing director Mary Grant was named Passenger Transport Professional of the Year last week, the top prize at the inaugural Passenger Transport Management Awards.

Grant was applauded by an audience of 250 of her fellow passenger transport professionals as she stepped up to collect the Stagecoach-sponsored prize during the awards ceremony at The Dorchester Hotel in London.

"This is a tribute to us all in this room today because we are clearly transport professionals that find this an infectious industry to be part of," said Grant. "It's not always easy, it's not always within our control, we sometimes think things are dealt heavily on us but we do have a huge responsibility of moving millions and millions of people around every day."

Grant also paid tribute to her team at First ScotRail, which she has headed since First Group took over the franchise in 2004.