International Distribution Services (IDS) has announced Emma Gilthorpe’s appointment as Royal Mail Group’s CEO. Gilthorpe will take over the reins of the 500-year-old postal service, from the first of May.
Martin Seidenberg, Group CEO of IDS, says: “Emma has an impressive track record of delivering major strategic change programs while driving up performance. She will bring a customer and employee-centric approach to delivering Royal Mail’s transformation for the benefit of all our stakeholders, and I look forward to working closely with her to ensure Royal Mail reaches its true potential.”
Emma Gilthorpe, with her experience at Heathrow Airport since 2009, rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer in 2020. Her tenure at Heathrow is marked by a series of high-impact roles, where she notably spearheaded the Strategy, Regulation, and Sustainability departments.
Instrumental at Heathrow Airport
Gilthorpe’s leadership was pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she skillfully navigated Heathrow’s operations to meet the challenges of safe, sustainable, and efficient demand management, all while enhancing service standards. She was instrumental in the development and advocacy of Heathrow’s Expansion Programme, a 30-year vision focusing on sustainability and affordability.
This master plan, under her guidance, garnered widespread support, ranging from employees to politicians and various stakeholders.
Before her influential tenure at Heathrow, Gilthorpe honed her skills in the telecommunications sector. Her roles at British Telecom (BT) and Cable and Wireless were marked by strategic and commercial ingenuity. Notably, she was a key advocate for establishing Openreach as a distinct entity from BT and was crucial in formulating strategies for the nationwide implementation of superfast broadband.
Royal Mail brand
Her extensive telecommunications and airport operations background uniquely positions her as a leader adept at navigating complex logistical landscapes, making her story particularly relevant and inspiring to logistics professionals.
Emma Gilthorpe says: “It is an exciting time to be joining Royal Mail at this crucial period for the company. 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 to continue to modernize Royal Mail and deliver the high standards of service our customers rightly expect.”
Innovation and partnerships
Last month, Royal Mail entered into a collaboration with Quadient, a renowned player in the integration of digital and physical customer engagement channels and a key operator of a global open locker network.
This collaboration, formalized through a multi-year agreement, marks Royal Mail’s entry into the Parcel Pending by Quadient Open Locker Network. This strategic move aims to enhance
customer service and experience by introducing convenient returns and outbound drop-off options. Royal Mail plans to implement these services across approximately 200 sites by May 2024.
UK postal service market
Mordor Intelligence reports the UK postal service market is estimated to achieve good growth in the next five years. “The United Kingdom courier, express, and parcel (CEP) market is growing with the increasing number of same-day delivery transactions.
Due to the powerful digital trends driving the market, the United Kingdom and Italy have been the fastest-growing markets in the European region. The key market players are continuously reinventing the post and parcel industry with technology-driven innovations.”
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
