Baroness Ford appointed as new chair of London Gatwick
Baroness Margaret Ford of Cunninghame (OBE) has been appointed as London Gatwick’s new chair, the airport announced today.
Baroness Ford is one of the most experienced chairs in the UK having chaired four public companies and acted as senior director on a further four. In addition, she has chaired several privately owned businesses and National Government bodies, mainly in the infrastructure/regulated sector. She will step down from Deloitte in November, having served on the European and UK Boards and the Global Advisory board. She recently completed six years chairing the Challenge Board of the building renewal programme at Buckingham Palace. She is a trustee of the British Olympic Association and Honorary President of Epilepsy Action. She sits as a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords.
Baroness Ford will join London Gatwick in November and take over from Sir David Higgins, who has been chair since 2017. Sir David will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
Baroness Ford said: “I am delighted to be taking on this role and look forward to working closely with shareholders VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, the Airport CEO Stewart Wingate and the executive team. London Gatwick is an important piece of our national infrastructure and has exciting plans for the future. It’s important Gatwick continues to deliver good service levels, whilst working closely with all its stakeholders whether that’s on day-to-day operational plans or more strategically to facilitate long term sustainable growth and economic benefits for the region.”
Outgoing Chair, Sir David Higgins said: “I am proud to have helped steer London Gatwick through some significant moments in the airport’s recent history, and in particular during almost two years when international travel was severely restricted due to Covid. I’m pleased that London Gatwick is well on the road to recovery and has shown its confidence in bringing forward exciting long-term plans for growth. Baroness Ford is joining the airport at an important time and brings a wealth of experience. I look forward to continuing on the board and supporting Baroness Ford in achieving the airports vision as the airport for everyone, whatever your journey.”
Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports and Michael McGhee, Deputy Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) said: “We are delighted that Baroness Ford has agreed to chair the board at London Gatwick. She brings a wealth of experience from across a number of sectors and her knowledge of infrastructure, construction and regulation will be a great asset. We also want to thank Sir David for his important contribution as chair for the last six years and are pleased that he will remain on the Board as a non-executive director.”
You can read more about our Board of directors | Gatwick Airport on the Gatwick website.
London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport and is a vital piece of national infrastructure that helps drive both the regional and national economy. More than 40 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 45 long-haul destinations. The airport is focused on rebuilding and growing sustainably in the long term. It has ambitious plans to be a net zero airport by 2030 and increase capacity by bringing its Northern runway into routine use. Vinci Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99% interest.
The world’s leading private airport operator, VINCI Airports operates 72 airports in 13 countries. Thanks to its expertise as a global integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and manages airports by providing its investment capacity and its know-how in optimizing operational performance, modernizing infrastructure and managing their operations and environmental transition. VINCI Airports is the first airport operator to have committed to an international environmental strategy in 2016, to achieve the goal of net zero emissions across its entire network by 2050.
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Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With decarbonization central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition. Headquartered in New York, GIP has offices in Brisbane, Dallas, Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, Singapore, Stamford and Sydney.
GIP has approximately $100 billion in assets under management. Our portfolio companies have combined annual revenues of approximately $80 billion and employ over 100,000 people. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our investors' capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com.
