Turner & Townsend appoints Gilthorpe as chief transformation officer

Her responsibilities will include developing the opportunities presented by AI and other technology for the global professional management company.

Gilthorpe brings 20 years of experience in complex business transformation, strategy, and operational performance improvement. Most recently, she was chief executive of Royal Mail in the UK, leading the 500-year-old business back to profitability in 12 months. 

Gilthorpe also spent nearly 15 years on the executive team at Heathrow Airport, navigating the Covid-19 pandemic as chief operations officer. She set up Heathrow’s £30bn, 25-year project to increase airport capacity while delivering binding commitments to reduce aircraft noise and carbon emissions, and improve public transport and local air quality.

Gilthorpe is a non-executive director at Manchester Airports Group and also a qualified barrister. At T&T, she will be working alongside chief operating officer David Whysall, who said: “The significance of her appointment demonstrates the size of our ambition. 

“Emma is one of our industry’s most prominent figures with a tremendous track record of operating and delivering significant transformation across a range of large, multi-sector organisations and will play an integral role in accelerating our own global growth ambitions.

“Emma’s role in overseeing Heathrow’s transition to become one of the world’s leading infrastructure operators will be very relevant as we continue to support our clients’ delivery of major complex programmes.”