Denmark’s Thomas Woldbye Appointed New CEO Of London Heathrow Airport

Thomas Woldbye, the former CEO of Copenhagen’s Kastrup International Airport has been appointed as the new CEO of London Heathrow Airport.

In a tweet on Friday, June 30, Heathrow Airport wrote: ‘Following an extensive global search, we are delighted to announce that Thomas Woldbye has been appointed as the new CEO of #HeathrowAirport’.

Following an extensive global search, we are delighted to announce that Thomas Woldbye has been appointed as the new CEO of #HeathrowAirport.

Read the full press release: https://t.co/5r17IHYoU6 pic.twitter.com/AZJW49Pcoy

— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) June 30, 2023

In a statement released by Heathrow, it was revealed that he was chosen by the aviation facility’s board of directors as the most suitable candidate for the position. After 10 years in charge of Britain’s busiest travel hub, John Holland-Kaye steps down later this year, at which point, the keys will be handed to Woldbye.

Woldbye spent 11 years as CEO of Copenhagen Airport

With 11 years under his belt in Denmark’s busiest airport, he brings with him a wealth of experience. Woldbye has a proven track record that saw the Danish hub grow significantly in sustainability and customer service under his control, making it one of Northern Europe’s leading airports.

This clearly influenced the board in its final decision to put him in charge. Heathrow has blossomed into a modern facility thanks to a recent private shareholder investment programme of £11 billion ($13.9bn). This can only work in Woldbye’s favour once he takes over the reins.

His appointment would of course not have been a simple task. His leadership style and ability to put the airport’s passengers and colleagues at the heart of his decisions was one of the main contributing factors according to the Heathrow board.

They were struck by two fundamental leadership traits that Woldbye displayed apparently. Copenhagen Airport is part-owned by the Danish Government and during his tenure, the CEO managed to forge an impressive solid relationship with them.

He also successfully took care of and handled stakeholder relationships which at the best of times are known to be pretty complex.

He built strong ties with the Danish Government

Strong relationships were also forged with the airlines that used Kastrup Airport. This enabled Woldbye to establish partnerships that flourished and increased development and investment in the hub. His endeavour was ultimately responsible for the expansions that recently took place at the Copenhagen aviation facility.

Heathrow Chairman Lord Paul Deighton, commenting on Woldbye’s appointment said: ‘Leading Britain’s hub airport is one of the most important jobs in global aviation and the vacancy attracted the best calibre talent from across the world’.

He continued: ‘”Thomas’s achievements at Copenhagen not only mirror Heathrow’s long-term strategy, but his track record in successfully running a major airport and working closely with stakeholders to secure consensus and deliver positive results stood out in the selection process’.