Thomas Woldbye has taken over from Holland-Kaye as CEO of Heathrow
Thomas Woldbye has officially taken over as Heathrow CEO, from John Holland-Kaye. The airport hopes it will improve and grow under his leadership, and says he will “oversee the airport’s multi-billion £ plans to upgrade existing facilities over the next three years to provide an even better service for passengers, including the next generation security programme and new baggage system for Terminal 2.” John Holland-Kaye was CEO for over 9 years, and pushed for a third runway, getting parliamentary approval for it, before Covid struck. Thomas Wooldbye was previously CEO of Copenhagen Airport from May 2011 – September 2023, and recently pushed through terminal expansion plans there. Previously, he worked for A.P. Møller-Maersk for 27 years.
.
Tweet
.
Heathrow’s new CEO plans stronger hub for UK
18 October, 2023
Heathrow press release
Thomas Woldbye has officially taken over as Heathrow CEO. His arrival marks a new chapter for Heathrow that will push innovation in passenger service, sustainability and growth at the airport over the next decade.
He is spending his first day meeting colleagues across the airport seeing first-hand what goes into making Britain’s hub one of the top 10 airports globally
Thomas Woldbye has officially taken the helm of the UK’s hub airport this morning following the departure of former CEO John Holland-Kaye. As a champion of passenger service, sustainability and growth, Thomas’s arrival opens a new chapter in Heathrow’s story after a decade of transformation.
On his first day, Thomas is meeting colleagues across Heathrow to see first-hand what makes it one of the world’s top airports. As new CEO, Thomas will oversee the airport’s multi-billion pound plans to upgrade existing facilities over the next three years to provide an even better service for passengers, including the next generation security programme and new baggage system for Terminal 2.
As the UK’s hub airport, Heathrow’s success is built on collaborative relationships with local communities, Team Heathrow partners including airlines and ground handlers and stakeholders across sustainability, business and politics. Thomas will spend the coming weeks getting to know these stakeholders and hearing their thoughts on how to further improve the airport.
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said:
“The UK already has a hub airport that is the envy of much of the world. As I spend my first days getting to know the colleagues and Team Heathrow partners who make it a success, I’m looking for how we can make Heathrow even better for our customers and the British economy. It’s humbling to have the opportunity to take on the challenge and I’m excited to get started.”
Thomas succeeds John Holland-Kaye who served as Heathrow’s CEO for over nine years. John set a strong example in his unyielding dedication to his colleagues and left behind a legacy of having transformed Heathrow into a premier global hub, developed the plan for Heathrow expansion that secured overwhelming Parliamentary approval, navigated the business through extremely challenging times during the COVID-19 and enabled Heathrow to recover faster from the pandemic than all of its major EU competitors and took a lead pushing global aviation towards net zero by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement.
–Ends–
Notes to Editors:
About Heathrow
Heathrow is the UK’s international gateway, the largest airport in Europe and the most connected megahub in the world. The airport welcomes over 200,000 passengers on roughly 1,300 flights each day, and serves as a Britain’s hub for trade, tourism and investment. Approximately 75,000 colleagues work at Heathrow – the airport directly employs about 10% of them, with the rest working for Team Heathrow partners including airlines, ground handlers and retailers.
About Thomas Woldbye
Thomas Woldbye was previously CEO of Copenhagen Airport from May 2011 – September 2023. Under Thomas’s stewardship, Copenhagen Airport was consistently rated as one of the world’s top airports, both in terms of customer and retail experience as well as efficiency and profitability. He worked in partnership with the unions in Denmark and put customers at the front of mind for all colleagues at the airport.
Previously, he worked for A.P. Møller-Maersk for 27 years. Thomas started his career as a management trainee in 1983, and over the next 20 years, he held several management positions in Indonesia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Denmark. During this period, he was primarily involved in the management of Maersk Line, the company’s worldwide container business. In 2004, Thomas took over as Group CEO of Norfolkline Group with headquarters in The Hague.
Thomas has an HD in Financing from Copenhagen Business School and professional qualifications from the London Business School and the IMD in Switzerland.
https://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/detail/17984
.
See earlier:
John Holland-Kaye to step down from his role as Heathrow CEO
Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, has announced his resignation and will leave his £1.5m role at some point in 2023 after 9 years in charge. He has been trying to get a 3rd runway for years, so far without success – and with a new range of problems that make it unlikely. Holland-Kaye took over in 2014, being promoted from development director when he oversaw the building of Terminal 2. Speaking at an aviation conference earlier this week, Holland-Kaye said that more details of renewed plans for a possible 3rd runway would be unveiled later this year. He has overseen several years of rows with the Heathrow regulator, the CAA, about landing charges – with opposition from airlines to any increases. There is speculation about who might be the next CEO. One possibility is Emma Gilthorpe, the chief operations officer, who was previously a director overseeing strategy and planning, including the expansion plans. Chief financial officer Javier Echafe is also a possible contender. Holland-Kaye will remain in post to ensure a smooth handover later in 2023.
.
..