Lord Paul Deighton is to take over as chairman of the Heathrow Airport board, succeeding Sir Nigel Rudd, who is retiring later this year.
Before his appointment, Lord Deighton worked at Goldman Sachs, and was chief executive officer (CEO) of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, which delivered the 2012 London Olympic Games. He has also worked as commercial secretary to the Treasury, where he was responsible for the National Infrastructure Plan, focusing on building major projects.
Lord Deighton says: “Over the past decade, Heathrow has been transformed by £11 billion [$15.6 billion] of private investment into a world-class airport that Britain can be proud of.”
“It is Britain’s front door – providing a warm welcome to visitors and connecting all parts of our island trading nation to the emerging and international markets of the world that fuel growth, create jobs and drive exports.”
Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye says: “Lord Deighton’s experience is tailor made for Heathrow. He understands the importance of world class national infrastructure as well as delivering outstanding service. He has exactly the skills we need to develop Heathrow as the best connected and most sustainable airport in the world.”
