London Gatwick Appoints New Chief Technical Officer
- London Gatwick has announced Mathieu Boutitie, currently Chief Technical Officer at Kansai Airports Group, as its new Chief Technical Officer
- Mathieu will replace Cedric Laurier who will rejoin VINCI Airports in Paris, both appointments are effective January 2026
London Gatwick has announced Mathieu Boutitie, as its new Chief Technical Officer, effective January 2026.
He will succeed Cedric Laurier, who will rejoin VINCI Airports in Paris, following a successful six years at London Gatwick, also effective January 2026.
Mathieu is currently Chief Technical Officer at Kansai Airports in Japan, where ORIX Corporation and VINCI Airports have equal shareholdings at 40%.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, Chief Executive, London Gatwick, said: “Mathieu joins London Gatwick at an exciting point in our growth journey. His strong track record in major construction, transport and airport infrastructure programmes and extensive experience working internationally, make him an ideal choice to succeed Cedric as our Chief Technical Officer.
“I would also like to thank Cedric for his significant contributions, delivering critical projects at the airport including runway resurfacing and enhancements, revitalising our passenger terminals and driving progress on our Decade of Change sustainability strategy to ensure we are on track to achieve Net Zero by 2030. On behalf of everyone at London Gatwick I would like to wish them both much success in their new roles. “
Mathieu Boutitie (pictured right), Chief Technical Officer, Kansai Airports, said: “I am delighted to be joining London Gatwick at such a pivotal time for the airport. I’m excited by the opportunity to play a key role in realising the significant benefits of the Northern Runway programme and wider capital investment plan, while making further progress towards London Gatwick’s ambitious sustainability goals.“
Cedric Laurier (pictured left), Chief Technical Officer, London Gatwick said: “It’s been a privilege to lead my team at London Gatwick for more than six years through a number of very exciting projects and during more challenging periods such as the Covid pandemic. Following the recent government approval of our Northern Runway programme I look forward to handing over to Mathieu for the next phase in the airport’s development.”
With 43m annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top 10 airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5bn GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). Almost 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared capacity of 55 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.
The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15m people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2bn sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.
VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.
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