International Distributions Services (IDS) has appointed Emma Gilthorpe as chief executive officer (CEO) of Royal Mail Group.
Gilthorpe will join the company on May 1, 2024 and will work closely with Martin Seidenberg, group CEO of IDS, during an intensive induction process before taking over responsibility for Royal Mail Group in the summer. During this period, Seidenberg will continue as interim CEO of Royal Mail Group.
Gilthorpe is currently chief operating officer at London Heathrow Airport where she is responsible for the running of the hub airport. Gilthorpe brings experience of working in “large, complex and high-profile regulated infrastructure businesses” and has a “proven track record of delivering successful change programs while improving operational performance and productivity”, IDS said.
Gilthorpe has held a variety of senior roles at Heathrow since joining in 2009 including leading strategy, regulation and sustainability. She established and led Heathrow’s expansion program and oversaw the airport’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring demand could be met safely, sustainably and efficiently while driving up service levels. Gilthorpe previously worked in a variety of strategy, policy and commercial roles in the telecommunications sector at BT and Cable and Wireless.
Commenting on the appointment, Seidenberg stated, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Emma as CEO of Royal Mail Group. Emma has an impressive track record of delivering major strategic change programs while driving up performance. She will bring a customer- and employee-centric approach to delivering Royal Mail’s transformation for the benefit of all our stakeholders, and I look forward to working closely with her to ensure Royal Mail reaches its true potential.”
Gilthorpe added, “It is an exciting time to be joining Royal Mail at this crucial period for the company. Royal Mail is a great British brand with a long and proud history. Now is the time to ensure it has a successful future too, working in partnership with our employees, customers and all our stakeholders to continue to modernize Royal Mail and deliver the high standards of service our customers rightly expect.”