Royal Mail hires new boss from Heathrow
A HEATHROW executive who presided over controversial security outsourcing plans that angered staff has been hired as the new chief executive of Royal Mail.
International Distributions Services, the owner of Royal Mail, has named Emma Gilthorpe as the new chief of its postal service.
Ms Gilthorpe, currently the chief operating officer at Heathrow airport, will join the group in May and take charge of Royal Mail in the summer.
Her move comes just months after Heathrow faced an internal backlash over plans to outsource security roles, affecting hundreds of workers.
At the time, Ms Gilthorpe said that ICTS, a third-party supplier, would be tasked with overseeing Heathrow’s “campus security” control posts. Heathrow said no jobs were at risk under the outsourcing plans.
However, union bosses are considering walkouts later this year. Ms Gilthorpe will be tasked with improving performance at Royal Mail, which has been struggling because of a fractious relationship with staff.
Royal Mail was fined £5.6m by Ofcom last year for failing to deliver post on time. Last year, it reported a £1bn loss after months of industrial action.
Ms Gilthorpe’s appointment marks Royal Mail’s fourth chief executive in five years. She will take over from interim boss Martin Seidenberg, who temporarily took on the role following Simon Thompson’s exit last year.
Ms Gilthorpe said: “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.”